RP-Sanjiv Goenka group’s flagship company CESC Ltd is set to hike power tariff in Kolkata for the third time this year by 6 paise, following a green signal from the West Bengal Electricity Regulatory Commission today.
The average tariff for the CESC licenced area would be Rs 6.09 per kilowatt hour (kWh), up from Rs 6.03. “The hike is only 1%. This will add close to Rs 60 crore to our topline,” said a top CESC official. Though the December electricity bill will reflect the new tariff, it would be with retrospective effect from April 2012, which will be recovered in eight installments.
For lifeline customers, who use up to 25 units per month, the tariff will rise by 2 paise from Rs 3.20 to Rs 3.22. The tariff for domestic low tension (LT) customers of 100 units per month will increase to Rs 4.94 from Rs 4.90, for those using 200 units, it would be Rs 5.63 from Rs 5.61.
However, for 300 units, the price would be the same at Rs 5.90 per unit. Those using up to 1000 units, the tariff would be Rs 7.36, up from Rs 7.32 per unit. For LT industry the tariff would increase by 3 paise from Rs 5.66 to Rs 5.69.
Meanwhile, for the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company (WBSEDCL) which feeds consumers in other parts of the state, the tariff remains the same. “Though there was a hearing on WBSEDCL tariff today, the regulator decided to keep it the same on an average of Rs 6.07 per unit,” said a top official from the state power utility.
As far as CESC is concerned, the tariff was increased by by 69 paise from Rs 5.19 per kilowatt hour (kWh) to Rs 5.88 following a West Bengal State Electricity Regulatory Commission order in March 2012. It further saw a 15 paise hike in May to Rs 6.03, in the form of a monthly variable cost adjustment (MVCA) formula, factoring in the increase in fuel prices, freight and excise duty revision on power purchase. According to sources, these hikes had added Rs 700 crore to the topline, excluding the latest hike.