The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has sought the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission's (KSERC) permission to impose a fuel surcharge on electricity bills for recovering ₹16.05 crore additionally spent on power purchases during January-March this year.
The KSEB is seeking to impose 3 paise per unit as fuel surcharge to recover the amount. The commission is expected to take a decision on the matter after holding a public hearing.
According to the KSEB plea, it incurred an additional liability of ₹7.06 crore purchasing 2,098.31 MU from central generating stations (CGS) during January-March, the last quarter of the 2021-22 fiscal. It also incurred a net additional liability of ₹9 crore purchasing energy from various independent power producers (IPP).
The commission's regulations allow the KSEB to pass on to the consumers any additional liability caused by variations in fuel costs over the approved levels. The rates are fixed by commission.
The KSEB is required to forward the fuel surcharge petitions within 30 days after the close of each quarter.
