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Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Hike in power tariff: Former finance minister seeks review of HERC tariff order, files petition
Seeking a review of the increased electricity tariff in Haryana, former finance minister, Sampat Singh on Monday said that he has filed a review petition challenging the March 28 tariff order issued by the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC). The Congress leader said the regulator's order gave a tariff shock to consumers across all categories when they received their electricity bills in June 2025. During a briefing at Haryana Congress office on Monday, Singh said that there were widespread public protests against the new tariff regime across the state. (HT File) During a briefing at Haryana Congress office on Monday, Singh said that there were widespread public protests against the new tariff regime across the state. Raising concerns over the pricing mechanism adopted by the power utilities, the former minister said that the power utilities were purchasing 7,964.28 crore units of power at a cost of ₹ 3.12 per unit. But the same is being sold to consumers at an average rate of ₹ 7.29 per unit,' he said. Singh also pointed out that out of the total power purchased, only 6,916 crore units were reaching consumers, implying that the transmission and distribution losses exceeded 22%. Referring to the Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) undertaken by the Haryana government in September 2015, which covered ₹ 34,000 crore of liabilities of the power utilities, he said that post-UDAY, the power distribution companies reported a profit of ₹ 800 crore for the first time in March 2021. 'However, instead of reducing the tariffs, the burden on consumers has been increased,' he said. The Congress leader said domestic consumers now faced fixed charges ranging between ₹ 50 to ₹ 75 per kW. Additionally, per unit charges had been raised by 25% to 50%. This is the first time that fixed charges have been introduced for domestic consumers. Besides the telescopic slab system of consumption of power had been given a go by. Commercial consumers had been adversely affected by the merger of their category with LT and HT supply, raising fixed charges from ₹ 165 to ₹ 290 per kVA, and per unit charges from ₹ 6.65 to ₹ 6.95. He also criticised the continuation of a 47 paise per unit fuel surcharge adjustment that was supposed to end in June 2024.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Congress leader challenges Haryana power tariff hike, files review petition
Senior Congress leader and former Minister Sampat Singh has filed a review petition before the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) challenging the recent electricity tariff hike that has sparked protests in the State. The tariff revision, which came into effect in April, has been met with resistance from various consumer categories, including industrial associations and domestic users. Prof. Singh, in his petition, has sought a public hearing to address the pressing concerns of consumers. He described the HERC's order as a 'tariff shock', which was experienced by consumers across all categories when they received their electricity bills in June. The Congress leader also questioned the pricing mechanism adopted by power utilities. 'The utilities are purchasing 7,964.28 crore units of power at ₹3.12 per unit, while selling it to consumers at an average rate of ₹7.29 per unit,' he said at a press conference in Chandigarh. According to Prof. Singh, out of the total power purchased, only 6,916 crore units are reaching consumers, implying transmission and distribution losses exceeding 22%, which are effectively being passed on to consumers. He referred to the Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) undertaken by the Haryana government in September 2015, which had recovered ₹34,000 crore in liabilities of power utilities. Prof. Singh pointed out that post-UDAY, the discoms reported a profit of ₹800 crore for the first time in March 2021, but instead of reducing tariffs, the burden on consumers has increased. The Congress leader highlighted the impact of the tariff hike on domestic consumers, who now face fixed charges ranging from ₹50 to ₹75 per kW. Additionally, per unit charges were raised by 25-50%, with fixed charges being introduced for domestic consumers for the first time. Commercial consumers have also been adversely affected by the merger of their category with low tension (LT) and high tension (HT) supply, raising fixed charges from ₹165 to ₹290 per kVA and per unit charges from ₹6.65 to ₹6.95. Prof. Singh also criticised the continuation of a 47 paise per unit Fuel Surcharge Adjustment that was supposed to end in June 2024. Furthermore, he highlighted the ₹8,000-crore defaulting dues of around 22 lakh consumers, warning that the remaining consumers are indirectly bearing this cost. Meanwhile, several industrial associations, including the Manesar Industries Welfare Association, NCR Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Bahadurgarh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, have separately written to Power Minister Anil Vij and Chief Minister Nayab Saini, seeking a rollback of the tariff hike. They have termed the hike an 'additional financial burden' for micro, small, and medium enterprises. However, Mr. Vij has claimed that approximately 94% of electricity consumers in Haryana fall under Category-I (connected load up to 2 kW and monthly consumption up to 100 units) and Category-II (connected load up to 5 kW), and most of their bills have decreased. He emphasised that there has been no change in the electricity tariff for agricultural consumers. For HT consumers, the tariff revision from 2024-25 to 2025-26 shows a moderate increase of 7% to 10% depending on load and consumption. The Minister added that in the LT category, the increase among various consumers is relatively moderate, ranging from 4% to 7%. The Minister also compared Haryana's electricity tariffs with neighbouring States, claiming that Haryana charges significantly lower electricity tariffs for both LT and HT consumer categories, making it a cost-effective option. He pointed out that in neighbouring States, fixed charges go up to ₹450 per kW for LT and ₹475 per kW for HT categories, while energy charges go up to ₹8.95 per unit for LT and ₹7.75 per unit for HT categories.
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Smart metering, smarter execution: need for strong implementation framework
The Smart Meter National Programme is a key component of the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) that was launched in 2021 to improve the financial viability and operational efficiency of distribution companies ( DISCOMs ). With a focus on reducing Aggregate Technical and Commercial losses to 12 per cent -15 per cent , the scheme aimed to deploy 25 crore smart meters by financial year 2025-26 to enhance billing efficiency, reduce theft, and improve real-time monitoring across the power distribution network. Large-scale deployment of smart meters can aid in enhancing the energy efficiency of India's power sector, thus playing an important role in the nation's clean energy transition. Equipped with advanced reading capabilities, smart meters enable real-time monitoring of electricity usage, flag billing anomalies, and provide accurate data for energy planning, thus strengthening demand-side management and prompting load optimisation. India is witnessing an accelerated deployment of smart meters: from a rather slow uptake till 2023, installations have surged sharply, reaching 2.5 crore by early 2025. But this renewed momentum does not imply that there will be smooth sailing ahead. The pace of smart metering was hampered earlier by factors like high installation costs, absence of adequate infrastructure for replacement of meters, consumer resistance due to perceived billing inaccuracies, and technical issues related to data acquisition and connectivity. Importantly, these issues are in addition to the on-ground execution challenges—especially the absence of regular monitoring measures and efficient maintenance practices—that have marred the past metering initiatives in India. Experience from past metering programmes Historically, metering initiatives at various levels of the distribution network in India have faced setbacks due to multiple factors, such as non-compliance with regulatory mandates, poor maintenance of meters, high upfront costs, and inadequate network upgrades. Efforts under various electricity distribution programmes, like the Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (APDRP), its successor, the Restructured APDRP (R-APDRP), the Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS), and the Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) aimed to improve metering for streamlining energy accounting and reducing losses. But meagre implementation resulted in inefficiencies and DISCOMs failed to leverage the metering data for loss reduction. A recent report by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) on the metering status in the country as of March 2024 tracked the number of installations, but whether this translated into lower losses or improved accountability was not brought out. However, a field survey on the condition of distribution transformer (DT) meters across selected feeders, conducted by the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) in 2018–19 had found that 19 per cent of the 542 meters surveyed were defective (the main issues related to loose wiring, burnouts, and partial displays, which rendered the meters ineffective). It also found that 40 per cent of DT meters were poorly maintained, had poor physical accessibility (for instance, they were surrounded by vegetation, or were mounted too high), or were compromised due to pest infestations. The key takeaway from past metering programmes, therefore, would be to give due recognition to continuous monitoring and timely maintenance measures, once meters have been installed. This means that DISCOMs need to invest in regular meter audits. Learning from consumers surveys on smart metering In a milieu where metering data lacked consolidation, smart metering was brought in for the crucial role it can play in improving energy efficiency by increasing metering coverage, reducing electricity theft, enabling automated meter reading, and improving power factor management to curb line losses. There have been some studies and surveys to understand how smart meters are doing on the ground. For instance, a consumer survey in 2022 found that nearly 60 per cent of smart-meter users expressed satisfaction, primarily appreciating the ease of bill payments and improved visibility of electricity consumption. However, the survey also flagged gaps in user awareness—many consumers lacked access to detailed billing breakdowns and were unfamiliar with using mobile applications associated with the meters. These findings highlight the importance of consumer education, user-friendly platforms, and trust-building for the success of smart metering initiatives. Looking ahead India's experience so far with metering initiatives underlines the significance of strong groundwork for effective implementation of such programmes. This calls for putting comprehensive monitoring systems and maintenance protocols in place, so that the performance of installed meters can be assessed and problems can be identified and fixed. In the context of India's ongoing smart-metering initiative, challenges specific to smart meters need to be addressed, besides fixing the fundamental implementation issues mentioned above. DISCOMs must establish mechanisms to support consumers in understanding and using the smart-meter technology effectively. Further, the phased deployment of smart meters must be accompanied by diligent third-party audits to ensure that the systems are operating efficiently. Simultaneously, consumers should be educated on how to use the data generated by smart meters and interpret the bills, while capacity building programmes should be conducted to upskill the DISCOM staff on this technology. (The authors work in the Energy Policy and Regulations group at the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), a research-based think tank. Mallik EV is a senior associate, and Rishu Garg heads the group.)
Hindustan Times
14-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
State to invest ₹1.4 lakh crore to meet power demand
MUMBAI: Maharashtra's power needs are expected to grow to 45,000 MW by 2035. To cope with the demand, the state government has drawn up a slew of measures, revealed chief minister Devendra Fadnavis after attending a conference of power ministers from the western states in Mumbai on Tuesday. Fadnavis said that the current power demand of the state was 30,659 MW, which is expected to reach around 45,000 MW by 2035. 'The state government is making every effort to ensure that the future demand is fulfilled,' he said. A ₹65,000-crore plan has been drawn up to strengthen the distribution system, along with another investment of ₹75,000 crore in the transmission sector.' The chief minister added that measures had also been taken to procure adequate electricity to meet the increased summer demand. 'Agreements have been made to ensure the availability of 2,683 MW of power from thermal power stations, 1,170 MW from hydropower and 35,170 MW from renewable sources,' he said. 'Additionally, 4,574 MW of storage capacity has been planned to meet non-solar peak time demand.' Fadnavis urged the central government to cooperate in the initiative to make solar energy affordable and help maintain grid stability. He also called for the implementation of the Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) 2.0 scheme in Maharashtra. UDAY is a financial restructuring plan for the country's power distribution companies (DISCOMs), which aims to improve their financial health and operational efficiency, ultimately ensuring a reliable and sustainable electricity supply for consumers. Union power minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who also attended the power ministers' conference, asked Maharashtra and other states to focus on smart meter projects for electricity distribution. 'Power distribution companies should implement efficiency-enhancing measures like infrastructure development and smart metering under the Reforms-based, Results-linked Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS),' he said, and instructed the states to prioritise prepaid smart meters in all government establishments. Others who attended the conference were Shripad Naik, union minister of state for power and new & renewable energy, and the power ministers of Goa, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
