PSPCL ENGINEERS BACK ON OPEN-ACCESS CHARGES

PATIALA
: The PSEB Engineers Association has called for levying 100% transmission charges on open-access consumers to save the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) from losses and the general consumer from higher tariff.
In a letter written to the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC), association president HS Bedi said the interests of PSPCL and over 70 lakh nonindustrial consumers should be protected by levying 100% transmission charges, at least Rs 2 per unit cross subsidy surcharge and voltage surcharge.

In the current fiscal, PSPCL is likely to suffer Rs 1,000-crore losses due to openaccess consumers, who are expected to bring about 5,000 million units of power from sources other than the corporation, he said.

Bedi said consumers in Punjab had started opting for open access from 2009-10, but during that fiscal, no substantial impact was felt on the system or finances since the number of consumers was less than 40.

However, in 2010-11, the number increased exponentially, and till date more than 270 consumers with a load of around 1,200 MW have been granted open-access facility. At present, they are importing more than 750 MW, amounting to around 150 lakh units per day.

Bedi said the main reason for such a high number of openaccess consumers in Punjab was the lowest charges in the country. Such consumers are paying only 25 paise per unit as openaccess charges. HTC