Delhi power rates may rise in April as govt prepares to clear discom dues

The electricity rates in the city are likely to rise from April as the Delhi government is preparing for disbursal of pending dues of over Rs 38,000 crore to the three power discoms, officials said on Sunday. The government is, however, planning to subsidise the hike in power tariff to cushion the impact on the consumers, they said. The Supreme Court in August last year directed that the regulatory assets, including carrying costs of Rs 27,200 crore, be paid to Delhi's three private discoms, BRPL, BYPL and TPDDL, in seven years. Regulatory assets - costs that are expected to be recovered in future - have risen sharply due to a lack of any power tariff hike in the past decade under the Aam Aadmi Party rule. Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC), city's power regulator, informed the central agency, Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL), in January that total regulatory assets in Delhi stand at Rs 38,552 crore. As per DERC filing, the outstanding amount includes Rs 19,1