Hyderabad : Electricity consumers across Telangana , barring those in the agriculture sector, are likely to see higher power bills from Nov after the Telangana Electricity Regulatory Commission (TGERC) approved the recovery of ₹5,420 crore in pending true-up dues.
Consumers will be charged an extra 30 paise per unit initially, followed by 50 paise per unit in subsequent billing cycles, according to officials. The recovery is linked to power consumption recorded during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 financial years. The power purchase true-up for 2022-23 was fixed at ₹5,186 crore, while the revenue true-up for 2023-24 was determined at ₹2,448 crore, according to the order. Together, Telangana Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TGSPDCL) and Telangana Northern Power Distribution Company Limited (TGNPDCL) are entitled to recover ₹7,635 crore.
The additional charges will be reflected in electricity bills issued from Nov.
Of the total amount, ₹2,214 crore pertains to agricultural consumers, including ₹1,442.49 crore under TGSPDCL and ₹772.50 crore under TGNPDCL. Citing the state’s free power policy for agriculture, the commission ruled that the amount should not be collected from farmers and must instead be reimbursed by the govt. To ensure transparency, the commission directed the discoms to show true-up charges as a separate item in electricity bills. Details such as the financial year, applicable rate, consumption basis and amount recovered must be clearly mentioned. If recoveries relating to multiple financial years are included in the same bill, they must be displayed separately. The commission also instructed the discoms to publish public notices in Telugu, English and Urdu newspapers before issuing the first recovery bill, explaining the methodology, rates and duration of the true-up collections.