Torrent PowerLimited (TPL) consumers may have to pay more for the electricity they consume as the private sector company has sought to levy ‘additional charge’ to recover its past dues.

The company, however, has proposed to keep power tariffsunchanged in its petition for determination of power tariffs for fiscal 2019-20.

Torrent Power has proposed to levy additional charge of 28 paise per unit for Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar supply area starting April 1, 2019 to recover its dues worth Rs 228 crore in 2019-20. It has sought an additional charge of 14 paise per unit for Surat to recover past dues of Rs 47.08 crore in the next fiscal.

“The said additional charge (if approved) would be temporary in nature to liquidate TPL's past under-recoveries and would not lead to any permanent increase in tariff,” the company said in a statement.

TPL has filed its tariff petition with Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC) and the final decision on the proposed additional charge will be taken by the state power regulator after hearing all the stakeholders.

“TPL’s tariff in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Surat was last increased in fiscal 2015-16 and since then GERC has not allowed any tariff increase despite general inflationary pressure. TPL has been making all efforts, as far as possible, to bring in operational efficiencies to reduce the need for tariff increase,” the company added.

TPL has also urged to merge Rs 1.23 per unit of existing base Fuel Price and Power Purchase Adjustment (FPPPA) in the energy charges across all categories. “This is unlikely to result in any increase in tariff,” added K K Bajaj, a city-based energy and regulatory expert.

Power distribution companies affiliated with state-run Gujarat Urja Vikas NigamLimited (GUVNL) too have refrained from seeking any increase in power tariffs for the year 2019-20. These discoms, however, have proposed to increase basic FPPPA or fuel surcharge to Rs 1.63 per unit as against current base FPPPA of Rs 1.49/unit.