A slew of issues ranging from power tariff revision to the need for making up the revenue deficit of the Kerala State Electricity Board worth Rs.2,759 crore will figure at a public hearing of the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission here on March 12.
A commission note here on Friday said the hearing at the Institution of Engineers hall here had been scheduled on the basis of a petition filed by the board on the basis of the income and expenditure statement for 2013-14.
Considering the six per cent increase in power consumption, the total demand of the State would touch 21,6576 million units. Had the State received normal rainfall, the hydro-electric projects would have generated 6,468 million units.
Since the generation in the State cannot be increased to meet the rising demand, in addition to the 9,816 million units expected from the Central thermal power plants, 1,579 units generated by naptha units and 3,628 million units from the open market had to be secured at an additional cost.
Revenue expenditure
The board had estimated the revenue expenditure at Rs.11,237 crore. About 60 per cent, Rs.6,673 crore, would have to be spent for power purchase, 23 per cent, Rs.2,551 crore, would have to be spent for meeting the salary and pension bills, three per cent, Rs.305 crore, for maintenance, and nine per cent, Rs.1,024 crore, for interest and depreciation. Of the revenue deficit of Rs.2,759 crore, Rs.1,574 crore would have to be made up in 2013-14 through a power tariff hike.
This would call for a tariff revision in the following scale. Those consuming up to 40 units Rs.1.65 a unit, up to 80 units Rs.2.30 a unit, up to 120 units Rs.2.70, up to 150 units Rs.3.40, up to 200 units Rs.4, up to 300 units Rs.5, and above 300 units Rs.6.75.
A 19 per cent revision had been proposed for industrial consumers. A seven to 15 per cent revision had been mooted in commercial tariff. The hike for major industrial and non-industrial segments had been proposed at 19 per cent.
A 20 per cent hike had been proposed for Railways, 25 per cent for street-lighting and 20 to 33 per cent for farm purposes. Tariff recast had been proposed for government offices, software institutions and private hospitals too.
