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The decision will attract 3.2 million consumers in Maharashtra including about 50 million in Mumbai.
Moreover, electric power companies last week filed their mid-term review petition before MERC, and sources stated on Monday that one cannot rule out the possibility of some utility companies “hiking tariffs” for residential and commercial consumers from April 1. However, calls will be handled by MERC.
Consumer rights activist Pratap Hogade said, “Consumers are being subjected to additional tariffs due to the recent recovery by power companies. We will strongly oppose the proposal for an increase in tariff from April 1. The MERC hearings are at six locations where citizens can give suggestions or oppose any proposal for increasing fares by electricity equipment.” Hogade further claimed through a media statement on Monday that there is a possibility of a “tax rate shock of 10-18% hike” in the case of MSEDCL as it has to make “significant recovery”. An MSEDCL spokesperson declined to comment, adding that he was not aware of the proposal.
For the existing FAC, the Board of Directors has allowed an average recovery of one rupee per unit for three months. For those in Thane, Navi Mumbai and beyond consuming more than 300 units of electricity per month, this charge will be doubled – at an additional FAC burden of Rs 2 per unit on the monthly electricity bill.
FAC is now cleared to recover huge costs while providing power earlier this year. An official of the Department of Energy said: “It was collected in connection with the increase in the price of coal in the market. The international market due to the Russian-Ukrainian war and also due to the increase in the price of electricity up to 12 Rs. per unit in the exchange of energy during the summer months”. .
An industry source said, “Mid-term review petitions of state-run discoms like BEST, Tata Power, Adani Electricity and MSEDCL will be heard now, and consumers can expect tariff revisions announced in March and effective from April 1, 2023. The tariff will take into account the recent gap that occurred during the Covid period due to lower sales and higher prices of imported coal and power subsequently.”
The power company has begun to procure electricity at cheaper rates from renewable sources, and this could “reduce the FAC’s burden by 2023”.
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