The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has proposed an upward revision in power tariff for all categories of consumers to realise additional revenue to the tune of Rs.1,550.35 crore in 2012-13.
In its tariff petition now before the State Electricity Regulatory Commission, the KSEB said it anticipated a revenue gap of Rs.3,240.25 crore during the year, but was presenting proposals in the petition to mobilise only Rs.1,550.35 crore. It sought the commission's permission to treat the remaining gap as ‘regulatory asset' for being passed on to the consumers at a later period.
The proposal is to increase the tariff from Rs.1.15 per unit to Rs.1.50 per unit for low-end domestic consumers using up to 40 units of electricity a month and from Rs.5.45 per unit to Rs.7 per unit for high-end domestic consumers using more than 500 units a month. Those coming under the energy consumption slabs in between the lowest and highest too will have to pay more energy charges than at present.
In addition to the hike in energy charges, domestic consumers will have to pay a monthly fixed charge on their connections. This will range from Rs.5 for low-end consumers to Rs.90 for high-end domestic consumers.
From the domestic consumers numbering over 85 lakh, the KSEB expects additional revenue of Rs.456.12 crore from tariff revision and Rs.215.45 crore from fixed charge.
Domestic consumers were not being levied fixed charge so far. The average energy tariff for domestic consumers at present came to Rs.1.96 per unit, whereas the average cost of supply would come to Rs.5.66 per unit, according to the assessments for the year, the KSEB said.
Revenue realisation
The proposed tariff structure would increase the average revenue realisation from domestic consumers to Rs.2.53 per unit, which meant that they would continue to enjoy the supply of electricity at a highly subsidised rate. In fact, only domestic consumers using more than 300 units of electricity a month would have to pay more than the average cost of supply, even as per the new proposals.
Tariff revisions proposed included those that would fetch for the KSEB additional revenue of Rs.144.28 crore from extra-high-tension industries, Rs.143.04 crore from high-tension industries, Rs.167.76 crore from high-tension commercial consumers and Rs.130.61 crore from low-tension industries.