Power tariff increase approved: Jharkhand's electricity rates see 6.12% hike; Consumers face higher bills starting April 1

Ranchi: In a move that would pinch the pockets of consumers, the Jharkhand State Electricity Regulatory Commission (JSERC) on Wednesday approved a revision in existing power tariff of Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (JBVNL) from April 1 this year.

Power tariff was revised by 6.12% across several categories as JSERC binned the state-run discom’s proposal in November last year for a 59% increase and opted for a more moderate escalation.

Wednesday’s revision hiked unit cost of domestic rural units by Rs 0.5 and urban units by Rs 0.55.

Effective April 1, domestic consumers in urban circles will now have to pay Rs 7.4 per unit (kWh), up from Rs 6.85 while their counterparts in rural areas will have to pay Rs 7.2 per unit, up from Rs 6.7 per unit.

Whereas domestic HT (high tension) consumers face a steeper increase of Rs 0.8 per kVah. No hike has been imposed on the farm sector, the commission said. Urban commercial units will now cost Rs 7.3 while rural commercial units will cost Rs 6.7.

JBVNL had hiked tariff across multiple categories by 6.34% in May last year.

In a first for the state, JSERC on Wednesday announced a separate commercial high-tension category specifically for large establishments such as hospitals and shopping malls, imposing a tariff of Rs 8 per kVAh.

“Fixed charges across all categories remain unchanged, and meter rent has been completely abolished for all consumers,” JSERC chairperson (Retd) Justice Navneet Kumar said.

“To encourage timely payments and modern infrastructure, a 2% rebate will be offered to those settling bills within five days, while those opting for prepaid smart meters stand to gain a 3% rebate on energy charges,” he said.

JSERC also slashed the discom’s proposed rates for Electric Vehicle (EV) charging and solar energy. EV stations will be charged Rs 7 per unit during solar hours (9 am to 4 pm) and Rs 8.7 during off-peak times, significantly lower than the proposed Rs 8.3 and Rs 12.46 per unit, respectively. The revised tariff is also a reduction from the existing tariff of Rs. 7.31 per unit during solar hours and Rs. 8.77 per unit during non-solar hours. Additionally, rooftop solar adoption has been incentivised with approved tariffs of Rs 4.16 per unit for gross metering and Rs 3.8 per unit for net metering.

To ensure better service delivery, the commission has directed JBVNL to give the details of Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum (CGRF) on every electricity bill. “The commission has directed JBVNL to conduct virtual meetings of CGRF with consumers so more consumers can be reached. At present there are only 5 CGRFs across the state,” Justic Kumar said.

The regulatory body also took a firm stance on JBVNL’s financial claims. “An annual revenue requirement of Rs 10,832.7 crore against the utility's demand of over Rs 12,678 crore has been approved by the commission,” said Justice Kumar.