WAJAHAT SHABIR
Jammu: Electrical energy customers throughout Jammu and Kashmir should pay extra for energy from September 1 after the Joint Electrical energy Regulatory Fee (JERC) accepted the revised retail electrical energy tariff for Jammu Energy Distribution Company Restricted (JPDCL) and Kashmir Energy Distribution Company Restricted (KPDCL) for 2026–27.
The tariff order, issued on August 20, offers for a mean 6.83 per cent enhance over the prevailing tariff. The revised charges will apply to electrical energy consumption from September 1, 2026, and can stay in pressure until March 31, 2027, until amended, modified or prolonged by the Fee.
Whereas approving the brand new tariff, JERC has retained concessional charges for home customers, Under Poverty Line (BPL) households and small agricultural customers, whereas additionally rationalising industrial tariffs and introducing voltage-wise advantages for customers taking provide at larger voltages.
The precise quantity paid by customers will depend upon their class, electrical energy consumption, sanctioned load and, within the case of eligible bigger customers, the time at which electrical energy is used.
For eligible BPL home customers consuming as much as 30 models a month, the power cost has been mounted at ₹1.40 per unit, together with a hard and fast cost of ₹5 per kW monthly.
The concession, nonetheless, might be accessible solely to customers possessing a sound BPL certificates issued by the competent authority. Consumption past 30 models in a month might be billed in accordance with the relevant home tariff slabs.
For different metered home customers, the power cost might be ₹2.45 per unit for consumption as much as 200 models, ₹4.20 per unit for 201 to 400 models, and ₹4.60 per unit for consumption above 400 models.
The mounted cost for metered home customers has been mounted at ₹10 per kW monthly.
Which means households crossing the 200-unit and 400-unit consumption ranges will transfer into larger tariff slabs, making the overall month-to-month invoice dependent not solely on the variety of models consumed but additionally on the slab through which these models fall.
Small agricultural customers have additionally been given tariff assist beneath the revised order.
Agricultural connections as much as 20 HP might be charged ₹1.05 per unit, with a hard and fast cost of ₹23 per HP monthly.
For agricultural connections above 20 HP, the power cost has been mounted at ₹6.30 per unit, whereas the mounted cost might be ₹47 per HP monthly.
The concessional charge for smaller agricultural customers is a part of the Fee’s effort to guard classes thought-about extra delicate to tariff will increase.
For single-phase Non-Home/Industrial customers, the power cost might be ₹3.75 per unit as much as 200 models and ₹5.70 per unit above 200 models.
The mounted cost for single-phase industrial customers might be ₹75 per kW monthly.
For 3-phase industrial connections, the power cost has been mounted at ₹6.15 per kVAh, with a hard and fast cost of ₹140 per kVA monthly.
Industrial customers with a sanctioned load under 100 kW, however who’re provided and metered at HT voltage, might be eligible for a 5 per cent rebate on power expenses.
For LT industrial provide, the tariff has been mounted at ₹4.60 per kVAh, with a hard and fast cost of ₹63 per kVA monthly.
For HT industrial customers provided at 11 kV, the power cost might be ₹4.50 per kVAh, together with a requirement cost of ₹184 per kVA monthly.
JERC has additionally supplied voltage-wise advantages to industrial customers taking provide at larger voltage.
For HT industrial provide at 33 kV, the power cost might be 10 paise per unit decrease than the relevant 11 kV charge. Shoppers taking provide at 66 kV and above will obtain a discount of 20 paise per unit in contrast with the 11 kV charge.
The transfer successfully offers a tariff incentive to customers drawing energy at larger voltage ranges.
For Energy Intensive Industries, the power cost has been mounted at ₹5.30 per kVAh at 11 kV and ₹5.25 per kVAh at 33 kV.
The demand cost for the class might be ₹236 per kVA monthly.
Provide at 66 kV and above will obtain an extra discount of 10 paise per unit over the 33 kV charge.
The voltage-wise concessions are geared toward rationalising the tariff construction whereas encouraging environment friendly utilisation of the electrical energy distribution community.
The revised tariff additionally offers for a Time-of-Day (ToD) tariff for eligible customers, excluding agricultural customers, having sanctioned load or contract demand above 10 kW, topic to the provision of suitable metering and billing infrastructure.
Beneath the accepted ToD mechanism, industrial and industrial customers can pay a 20 per cent surcharge throughout peak hours, whereas different eligible customers will face a ten per cent peak-hour surcharge.
On the similar time, a 20 per cent rebate throughout photo voltaic hours might be accessible.
The system is meant to encourage customers to shift electrical energy use away from peak-demand intervals and make higher use of energy throughout photo voltaic hours.
For eligible customers, subsequently, the timing of electrical energy consumption may have a direct affect on the ultimate invoice.
The Fee has retained a separate tariff for electrical car charging and battery-swapping stations.
EV charging stations taking provide at LT might be charged ₹7 per kVAh, with no demand cost.
Nevertheless, charging of privately owned electrical autos at residential or different premises won’t routinely appeal to the EV charging-station tariff. Such consumption might be billed beneath the tariff class relevant to the premises.
For presidency departments utilizing LT metered provide, the tariff has been mounted at ₹8.30 per kVAh.
For Basic Function Bulk Provide at 11 kV, the power cost might be ₹5.90 per kVAh, with a requirement cost of ₹250 per kVA monthly.
For railway traction provide at 11 kV, the power cost has been mounted at ₹5.70 per kVAh, with a requirement cost of ₹315 per kVA monthly.
The Inexperienced Energy Tariff will stay unchanged at ₹0.50 per kWh, payable over and above the relevant class tariff.
The revised tariff order additionally specifies expenses for non permanent electrical energy connections.
Momentary connections might be billed at one-and-a-half occasions the tariff relevant to the related shopper class.
If a brief connection continues past 12 months, twice the conventional mounted or demand expenses in addition to power expenses will develop into relevant.
JERC has accepted a mixed Annual Income Requirement (ARR) of ₹10,275.72 crore for JPDCL and KPDCL for 2026–27.
Beneath the prevailing tariff, the income was estimated at ₹7,352.87 crore, leaving a income hole of ₹2,922.85 crore.
With the revised tariff, the income is anticipated to rise to ₹7,854.94 crore.
The remaining ₹2,420.78 crore might be met by authorities subsidy and grant assist.
JERC has said that recovering your entire income hole by tariff alone may have required a rise of round 40 per cent, indicating that the federal government subsidy has helped restrict the burden on customers.
The Fee has accepted a mean energy buy value of ₹4.88 per unit for 2026–27.
The accepted energy buy value has been projected at ₹4.73 per unit for 2027–28 and ₹4.78 per unit for 2028–29.
JERC has continued the distribution loss targets at 15 per cent for JPDCL and 19 per cent for KPDCL for the 2026–27 to 2028–29 management interval.
The targets for 2027–28 and 2028–29 could also be reviewed relying on the precise efficiency of the 2 distribution firms.
The order additionally rationalises and restructures shopper classes and sub-categories consistent with the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) norms.
JERC has continued the Gas and Energy Buy Value Adjustment (FPPCA) mechanism and directed quarterly reporting beneath it.
Miscellaneous expenses have been saved unchanged.
The Fee has additionally accepted the Enterprise Plan and Multi-Yr Tariff framework for 2026–27 to 2028–29 for JPDCL and KPDCL.
