Category: Tariff Policies & Subsidies

The state electricity boards [SEBs]/power distribution companies [PDCs] occupy a pivotal position in the electricity landscape of India. Besides owning generation plants and transmission infrastructure/lines, they are engaged primarily in supply and distribution of power [own plus quantity purchased from independent power producers (IPPs)]  providing last mile connectivity to homes, farmers, industrial units and business establishments etc. Maintaining SEBs/PDCs in a state of robust health is of paramount importance to ensure uninterrupted supply of quality power in requisite measure to the users, making timely payments to IPPs and suppliers of raw material such as coal [to keep their own generation stations running], ensuring proper upkeep and maintenance of the transmission/distribution infrastructure and timely servicing of loans taken from banks/financial institutions...

The government of Telangana has decided to give 24×7 free power to all farmers in the state from January 1, 2018. A member of parliament [MP] from Telangana Rashtra Samithi [TRS] – the ruling party in the state –  wanted the prime minister, Modi to recognize this singular achievement that has never been seen before in any other state. The union minister for railways and coal, Piyush Goyal even while  respecting the decision of state government [in deference to the federal character of the constitution] nonetheless advised the latter to make adequate provision in its budget to subsidize the losses resulting from its decision to supply free power. What Goyal was alluding to requires elucidation. Assume that the power consumed...

On the eve of a meeting with state power ministers to discuss comprehensive reforms in the power sector, in a free-wheeling interview with a leading business daily, union power minister, RK Singh has come up with four ideas viz. (i) cross-subsidy will be restricted to 20% from fiscal year 2019-20; (ii) tariff hike to cover losses of state electricity boards [SEBs]/power distribution companies [PDCs] will be capped at 15% from April 2019; (iii) innovative measures to reduce technical and commercial [T&C] loss of SEBs/PDCs and (iv) direct benefit transfer [DBT] of power subsidy. If, the multitude of problems facing the power sector including huge recurring losses of SEBs/PDCs could be solved by issuing diktats, this could have been achieved long ago. During...

For India now progressively moving towards an energy use configuration that is environment friendly [increase in share of non-fossil fuel such as nuclear, solar, wind, hydro etc], a steep decline in the cost of power generation based on solar and wind to level even below Rs 3 per unit – enabled primarily by reduction in the cost of equipment and services – has come as a boon. The state electricity boards [SEBs]/power distribution companies [PDCs] are keen to be a part of this transition and would like to procure power at a lower rate so that this benefit can be passed on to consumers. Besides, this will also help them in reducing losses and make their operations financially sustainable so...

Recently, during an interactive with a leading economic daily, union power secretary, Ajay Kumar Bhalla gave an indication of the government’s intent to launch direct benefit transfer [DBT] for giving power subsidy. Alluding to a clutch of pilot projects for DBT-Power to be launched soon, he exuded confidence that this will help in curbing wasteful electricity consumption, limiting power subsidies to really needy and denting losses of state electricity boards [SEBs]/power distribution companies [PDCs]. It will also help bring down current hefty tariffs charged from industrial customers. The move is prompted by DBT success for giving LPG subsidy and similar initiatives for fertilizers and foodgrains. Has the idea yielded desired outcomes in LPG? Has it really been kicked off in other...

Recently, Yogi – government in Uttar Pradesh [UP] cancelled a number of power purchase agreements [PPAs] that were signed in the past by state electricity boards [SEBs]/power distribution companies [PDCs] with independent power producers [IPPs] under MOUs [memorandum of understanding] route. The reason given was that cost of purchasing power under these agreements was substantially higher [in some cases even double] than the average cost of purchase @ Rs 4 per unit. In view of surplus availability of power in the state, the government hopes to lower overall cost even while meeting all its requirements. In turn, this will help reduce losses of SEBs/PDCs in the state. The galloping loss of SEBs/PDCs [as on September, 2015, their accumulated loss stood...