Ranchi: State owned Public Sector Undertaking (PSU), Jharkhand Now eye on Electricity Distribution Corporation Limited, which is facing financial loss Green Power as an option.
According to the audit report for the financial year 2018-19, the discoms incurred a loss of Rs 212.17 crore. The main role of PSUs is to purchase power from generators and distribute it to consumers and collect tariff from them at the rate decided by the State Electricity Regulatory Commission.
Since the PSU is buying power at very high cost and distributing it to the consumers at concessional rate, this gap has become a financial burden for the PSU. If electricity is purchased at a cheaper rate, then the deficit will be reduced, which otherwise keeps on accumulating every year. PSUs are now eyeing solar power as a cheaper alternative.
JBVNL Director (Operations) KK Verma said that about 45 lakh power consumers are supplying electricity from JBVNL in the state. “Out of these 45 lakh consumers, around 36 lakh are in rural areas whose power supply is highly subsidized by the state. The government gives high priority to rural consumers and people from economically weaker sections,” he said.
Irrespective of the amount to be paid by the consumers as electricity bill, JBVNL has to buy power from the power generator at the rate of around Rs 4.75 per unit. This rate often increases on days when power outages exceed a certain limit.
Verma said that 35 per cent-40% of the daily requirement of 2,000 MW of electricity in the state is consumed by 35 lakh consumers who enjoy subsidies. Hardly 10%-15% of them pay the bills. “The state government has launched a one-time settlement scheme to encourage consumers to pay their dues by December 15, 2021. If consumers pay their outstanding bills, the government is going to waive off interest on outstanding electricity bills worth Rs 1,700 crore. He said, once the dues were cleared, switching to cheaper power sources was a viable option.
According to the audit report for the financial year 2018-19, the discoms incurred a loss of Rs 212.17 crore. The main role of PSUs is to purchase power from generators and distribute it to consumers and collect tariff from them at the rate decided by the State Electricity Regulatory Commission.
Since the PSU is buying power at very high cost and distributing it to the consumers at concessional rate, this gap has become a financial burden for the PSU. If electricity is purchased at a cheaper rate, then the deficit will be reduced, which otherwise keeps on accumulating every year. PSUs are now eyeing solar power as a cheaper alternative.
JBVNL Director (Operations) KK Verma said that about 45 lakh power consumers are supplying electricity from JBVNL in the state. “Out of these 45 lakh consumers, around 36 lakh are in rural areas whose power supply is highly subsidized by the state. The government gives high priority to rural consumers and people from economically weaker sections,” he said.
Irrespective of the amount to be paid by the consumers as electricity bill, JBVNL has to buy power from the power generator at the rate of around Rs 4.75 per unit. This rate often increases on days when power outages exceed a certain limit.
Verma said that 35 per cent-40% of the daily requirement of 2,000 MW of electricity in the state is consumed by 35 lakh consumers who enjoy subsidies. Hardly 10%-15% of them pay the bills. “The state government has launched a one-time settlement scheme to encourage consumers to pay their dues by December 15, 2021. If consumers pay their outstanding bills, the government is going to waive off interest on outstanding electricity bills worth Rs 1,700 crore. He said, once the dues were cleared, switching to cheaper power sources was a viable option.
.