Finish chores in wee hours, cut power bill
PSPCL: Now fixed & variable rates
Jangveer Singh
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 7
A plan is in place to take Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) out of the red by going in for a two-part tariff which will do away with the need of imposing a tariff hike in the near future.

The PSPCL hopes to come out of the red in three years by introducing fixed and variable rates. The fixed rates are being introduced mainly to cater to the problem of industries buying power from outside at a time when the state has surplus power. Variable rates are aimed to benefit consumers.

“This is a win-win solution for both the consumers and the power utility”, said

PSPCL Chairman-cum -MD KD Choudhari. He said under the plan, still being fine- tuned, consumers switching on their geysers or washing machines in the early morning would be charged less as they would be reducing the load during the peak hours.

Chaudhari said the industry drawing power from the grid at a time when the state was surplus had hurt the utility this season. “Fixed tariff is being mooted to ensure the utility is not left high and dry.” He clarified that the industry was free to buy power from the grid but only when the state was deficit.

Choudhari said there was a realisation that the power utility had to be competitive and drawing up a tariff structure charging consumers depending on the time of the day would help it compete with other private players.

On the steps taken by the power utility to bring in efficiency, Chaudhari said the state had saved Rs 600 crore by purchasing more power than last year but at a lower cost. Similarly, reducing losses had saved Rs 500 crore.

This had been achieved by shifting meters out of houses and deloading 1,800 feeders. The PSPCL is planning to make bill collection, meter replacement and complaint servicing time-bound.

A novel concept

This is a win-win solution for both the consumers and the power utility...consumers switching on their geysers or washing machines in the early morning would be charged less as they would be reducing the load during the peak hours

— PSPCL Chairman-cum -MD KD Choudhari