GUVNL showed shortfall of Rs.1206 crore to recover old dues

- Antenna : Vivek Mehta

Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited in the annual revenue requirement of the financial year 2023-24 is Rs. By showing a shortfall of 1206 crores, a way has been opened to recover the remaining 69 paisa per unit under the Fuel Price and Power Purchase Agreement. Under the Fuel Price and Power Purchase Agreement, the average cost per unit including the cost of electricity purchased from private companies is charged to the consumer in addition to the price of fuel including coal. Every three months, electricity companies increase 10 paise on their own. Another 69 paise to be taken under this formula, he reduced it to Rs. 1206 crore has been shown as a decrease in income. Thus, instead of asking for a direct increase in electricity rates, they have asked for an indirect increase.

First of all, in the price hike petition made on behalf of the four power distribution companies of the Gujarat government, under the FPPPA formula, the current per unit charge of Rs. 1.90 increased by 70 paise to Rs. A proposal to take 2.60 has been put. Moreover, it is yet to charge another paise 69 per unit under the FPPPA formula. If this 70 paisa is increased again, the FPPP will increase to Rs. 3.29 is done. Which is taken from monthly electricity consumers of 50 units at Rs. 3.05 in excess of the charge. So it cannot be increased. As a result, a different path has been found.

Under the FPPPA, the approval of the Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission is required to collect money from consumers in excess of ten paise for three months. Despite getting the approval, Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited's four power distribution companies in Gujarat are yet to collect 69 paisa per unit from 1.40 crore electricity connection holders in Gujarat. In order to recover the arrears from the customers, he has submitted a price hike jerk petition for the year 2023-24 of Rs. 1206 crore has shown a decrease in income. West Gujarat Power Company Rs. 425 crore, North Gujarat Power Company Rs. 323 crore, Madhya Gujarat Power Company Rs. 146 crore and South Gujarat Power Rs. 312 crore has shown a decrease.

If the petition is accepted by the Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission-Jerk, there is a possibility of another big hike in electricity rates. Thus, experts believe that he is trying to recover the shortfall of 1206 crores from the customers in some other form. This increase should be approved only after raising questions against the purchase of electricity from private companies at indiscriminately high prices by the Gujarat Energy Development Corporation companies by stopping the production of their own power companies. Government power companies Private power companies have Rs. Buying electricity at the price of 12 increases the bill burden of consumers. Against these facts Jerk seems to be active as a company working in the interest of government companies instead of a company working in the interest of consumers. In Gujarat government's units that can generate cheap electricity from lignite, electricity is being generated at an average capacity of barely 38 percent. As a result, the electricity consumers of Gujarat will be charged Rs. 674 crore comes as an additional burden. The power companies of the Gujarat government have been paying the farmers of Gujarat approximately Rs. 1100 crores subsidy is given. The petitioners have also demanded that the power companies should recover this amount from the farmers and reduce the burden on the consumers. Hearing of all these petitions is likely to take place in mid-February.