Tnpdcl withdraws order on free electricity for farmers with solar pumps

Status: cleared
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (TNPDCL) withdrew its recent circular to field officers to reject new and pending applications for free electricity service to farming and allied activities if the applicant already has an off-grid solar-powered pump set for irrigation.

In a formal follow-up circular dated April 16, the TNPDCL director informed all the assistant engineers in the field that its previous circular was dispensed with. "The revised instructions will be issued in consultation with the agricultural engineering dept and other stakeholders," it said.
Since 2021, the state govt has provided 1.69 lakh free electricity connections to farmers. Yet approximately 3 lakh farmers are still awaiting this service, with some applications dating back as far as 10 years. In anticipation of eventually receiving free electricity, many farmers said they either independently installed off-grid solar pump sets or did so through govt subsidies, while others rely on diesel-powered pumps.
On April 8, a memorandum directed field officers not to consider new and pending applications for free electricity service (LT-IV category) if the farmers already have off-grid standalone solar-powered pump sets erected on their own or with subsidy assistance from any govt agency. TNPDCL said such applicants can only opt for the LT-IIIA(1) category, which is intended for cottage and micro industries. This category incurred a tariff of ₹4.8 per unit for the first 500 units and ₹6.95 per unit for usage beyond that, in addition to fixed charges of ₹150 per KW of connected load.
After experts pointed out that the circular was not compliant with the Electricity Act and was an injustice to farmers, who were waiting for a free electricity service for years, the circular was withdrawn. MSID:: 120701216 413 |