Instructions were issued to supply power at LT level to Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations with a connected load of up to 150 KW.
| Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO/GIRI KVS

VIJAYAWADA

The AP Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) approved the DISCOMs’ Aggregate Revenue Requirement (ARR) of nearly ₹57,545 crore for 2025-26 as per the Retail Supply Tariff Order issued on Thursday. It is about ₹1,325 crore less than the DISCOMs’ filings. 

According to an official release, APERC approved a revenue gap of ₹12,633 crore, which is ₹2,051 crore less than the filings of DISCOMs. 

The State government agreed to bridge the entire revenue gap of ₹12,633 crore, thus preventing tariff hikes for all the categories of consumers, and the subsidy towards concessions / free power included the benefit to be given to specific consumer categories like agricultural consumers, horticultural nurseries, washermen, aquaculture farmers and Scheduled Caste/Tribe households.

For the first time, the APERC determined hourly energy dispatches for a realistic assessment of short-term power requirements. The AP-Genco has been permitted to procure imported coal and obtain coal through Rail-Sea-Rail mode for ensuring full generation capacity and the DISCOMs’ dependence on markets. 

To enhance demand-side management, Time-of-Day (ToD) tariffs were fixed for LT industrial and commercial consumers, whereas these tariffs were previously applicable for HT consumers, and it has been decided to raise bills for individuals constructing/reconstructing their homes at domestic tariffs instead of commercial tariffs.

Standby tariffs have been made applicable to all open-access users, not just green energy open access users, instructions were issued to supply power at LT level to Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations with a connected load of up to 150 KW. The tariff for EVs remains unchanged at ₹6.70 per unit without demand charges. 

Besides, the APERC approved a scheme of regularisation of additional loads for domestic consumers on payment of only 50% of development charges. This scheme will be in vogue from March 1, 2025 to June 30, 2025. Consumers can voluntarily declare additional loads via an online window.