Bhubaneswar: A public hearing has started by the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) for the determination of the electricity tariff for the financial year 2025-26. On the first day, hearings were held in the morning for OHPCL and in the afternoon for OPGC on their respective proposals. The bench, which is formed with only two members due to the vacancy of the chairperson, initiated the hearing process.
In the morning session, OHPCL’s proposal for an electricity price hike was discussed. For the upcoming financial year, the required revenue was projected to increase by Rs146.31 crore, bringing the total to ₹671.12 crore, compared to the previous year. To meet this requirement, a proposal was made to increase the unit price by 26 paise. Additionally, for the grid corporation, there was a proposal to increase the annual revenue by ₹91 crore from ₹11 crore in the previous year.
The 26 paise price increase proposal by OHPCL was strongly opposed by the Consumer Association, represented by Ramesh Satapathy, who argued against the proposal for increasing electricity prices. Senior energy analyst Anand Mahapatra stated that OHPCL has made a profit of ₹397 crore. The auditor highlighted that the increase in OHPCL’s revenue was reflected in the return of Rs123.55 crore. Mahapatra found the proposal to increase electricity prices ridiculous and criticized it. The Consumer Association and the Energy Commissioner strongly opposed the price hike.
The commission will issue an order after hearing arguments from all sides, with the final order expected by the end of March. The hearing is being managed under the chairmanship of member Gajendra Mahapatra, with member Sushant Ray Mahapatra assisting.
In the afternoon session, OPGC proposed an increase of ₹113 crore in its annual basis, coal, and cash expenses to raise electricity prices.