GERC Imposes Additional Surcharge Of Rs 1/Kwh For Open Access Consumers

GERC Imposes Additional Surcharge Of Re 1/Kwh For Open Access Consumers

The Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC) in its latest notification proposed imposing an additional surcharge for open access consumers in the state. The state electricity regulatory body proposed imposing an additional surcharge at the rate of Re 1 per Kwh.

The GERC order said that the additional surcharge for these consumers would be applicable between April 1, 2024, to September 30, 2024. The state commission arrived at the calculation after receiving inputs from GUVNL and four other discoms in the state and the data during this period.

The development came to the fore when GUVNL and the four discoms approached the Commission seeking a revision of the formula for the computation of additional surcharge for the future period. The matter was also taken to APTEL. The apex authority however asked the petitioners to move their pleas before the State Commission.

To arrive at the calculations, the GERC had asked GUVN: to submit their data, certificated by the State Load Despatch Center and Chartered Accountant for each six-month period of October to March and April to September. Following the direction, GUVNL and the four discoms uploaded the data submitted to the Commission on their websites along with certificates from the SLDC and the CAs.

“Additional Surcharge is worked out at Rs. 1.00/ kWh applicable for the period of 1st April 2024 to 30th September 2024. While calculating Additional Surcharge, to work out Energy supplied to the general body of consumers out of Scheduled Energy for meeting the requirement of the general body of consumers, T & D losses of 14.13% i.e. lower of (i) normative T&D losses approved by the Commission for the year pertaining to data i.e. FY 2023-24 (14.59%) and (ii) latest trued up T & D losses for the four State Discoms as a whole i.e. FY 2021-22 (14.13%) is considered as decided in the Order dated 30.08.2022,” the GERC order said.

GERC said that while calculating Additional Surcharge, to work out Network related costs paid by open access consumers through demand charges, a percentage of 5.66% is considered, as depicted in Para 16.5 of the Order dated 30.08.2022.

The State Commission in its final judgement said, “This Additional Surcharge of Rs. 1.00/kWh shall be applicable to the consumers of four State Owned DISCOMs i.e. DGVCL, MGVCL, PGVCL and UGVCL who avail power through Open Access from any source other than their respective DISCOM.”