Bypolls delay electricity tariff hike in Kerala till Nov 30

Thiruvananthapuram: Electricity tariffs will not see an immediate hike in the state. The Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission (KSERC) issued an order extending the current power tariff till November 30. It is indicated that the tariff hike has been extended in view of the bypolls.

KSERC decided to announce the revised rate for 2024-2025 in the last week of October and effect the same from November 1. However, the government did not favour this decision as a tariff hike during bypolls would certainly backfire. The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) had demanded an increase of 34 paise per unit for domestic consumers this year. The board has also demanded that a summer rate of 10 paise per unit be charged from January to May 2025.

Though the Model Code of Conduct does not apply to the regulatory panel, the practice is to seek the government's opinion before announcing the tariff. In this context, the current rate was extended by a month. The new tariff is expected to be announced at the end of November or the first week of December.

The current rate came into force on November 1, 2023, and was supposed to end on June 30. However, the commission issued an order extending the tariff hike until September 30 as the KSEB had not submitted a new application for rate revision within the stipulated period. The current tariff was extended a second time in October, making this the third extension of the current electricity tariff.