The cost of power purchased by distribution licensees from the Singareni Thermal Power Project (STPP) will be costlier by ₹ 150 crore per annum.
The Telangana State Electricity Regulatory Commission on Friday evening passed orders on multi-year power tariff for the project which has two units of 600 MW each at Jaipur in Mancherial district.
As per the business plan, capital investment plan and multi-year tariff for 2019-20 to 2023-24 in respect of the project, the per unit cost worked out to ₹ 4.120 for 2019-20, ₹ 4.091 for 2020-21, ₹ 4.059 for 2021-22, ₹ 4.026 for 2022-23 and ₹ 3.990 for 2023-24. Overall, the per unit hike in cost on five year time scale was 25 paise.
The commission had earlier passed orders granting ₹ 3.58 per unit for 2016-17, ₹3.43 per unit for 2017-18 and ₹ 3.49 for 2018-19. Aggrieved by the order, the STPP moved the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity for revision. After prolonged proceedings in the tribunal, the public hearing on true-up for past three years and the multi-year tariff took place by video conference on July 23 last.
Arrears in six instalments
The commission also ordered that the arrears payable to STPP during the period of hearings for the whole of 2019-20 and the first four months of 2020-21 would be payable in six instalments. The order will come into force from April 1, 2019.
By another order, the regulatory commission determined the variable cost suo moto for 2020-21 to 2023-24 for existing biomass, baggasse and industrial waste based power projects and having power purchase agreements with distribution licensees.
The per unit cost of biomass power was ₹ 5.0069, bagasse ₹ 3.3002 and industrial waste ₹ 5.0069.
The STPP claimed an interest on loan of ₹ 2,156 crore for maintenance of plant in 2019-20 but the ERC approved only ₹ 1,613 crore.