APDCL keeps domestic tariffs steady, eyes Time-of-Day power plan
ToD is not proposed for BPL and domestic category consumers below 10KW load.;
No proposal to hike the tariff has been proposed in the APDCL petition submitted to the AERC.
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Guwahati, Jan 22: Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) on Tuesday said there is no proposal to hike the tariff for domestic and BPL customers, but the discom has proposed implementation of the Time-of-Day (ToD) plan, which will reduce the consumption charges during off-peak hours, and customers will be able to manage their usage as per the tariff structure.
ToD is not proposed for BPL and domestic category consumers below 10KW load. While no proposal to hike the tariff has been proposed in the APDCL petition submitted to the AERC, government sources said the power tariff for domestic customers is expected to be slashed by around 50 paise this year.
The ToD tariff plan will, however, be optional and is already available in eight categories in the prevailing tariff. In the current proposal, APDCL has extended the ToD tariff for all consumers (excluding agriculture) having connected loads exceeding 10 KW and also having smart meters.
The initiative aligns with the Ministry of Power's Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020, which require discoms to offer ToD tariffs to consumers with loads exceeding 10 KW, excluding agricultural users.
The proposed ToD option will be available exclusively to consumers with loads above 10 kW and installed smart meters."Importantly, the ToD tariff is optional and voluntary. The proposed ToD tariff structure features significantly reduced rates during solar hours, set 20 percent lower than the standard tariff for the respective consumer category.
By selecting the ToD tariff, consumers have the opportunity to adjust their energy usage from peak periods to off-peak hours, potentially lowering their energy bills," an official source said."Consumers having below 10KW load are more than 68 lakh out of 71 lakh total consumers. So, maximum domestic consumers will not be affected by this.
This means only three lakh consumers belonging to commercial, industrial, and high-consumption domestic consumers will be the beneficiaries of the ToD option. It will give facilities to consumers to use power as per their wish at cheaper day hour rates," the official said, adding that it is mandatory for all states to implement this.
By-
Staff Reporter
