MSEDCL consumers’ wait for tariff relief gets longer

Mumbai: With MSEDCL pointing out certain ‘discrepancies' in the electricity tariff order for 2025-26 and four subsequent financial years for Bhandup-Mulund, Thane, Navi Mumbai, and the rest of the state, the MERC has stayed its order passed on March 28. The regulatory commission will now hear the review petition filed by MSEDCL, and as a result, the power tariff will continue to remain ‘exorbitant' for at least two to three more months, said experts.
This, in turn, will burden over two crore residential consumers across the state as they were expecting an average 13% drop in tariff over five years. In fact, from this month, residential consumers would have witnessed a drop of 10-17% in tariff, which could have brought huge relief as the state power utility has the highest tariffs in Maharashtra.
Power expert Ashok Pendse said it could take two to three months for the regulatory commission to review the petition as it will have to hear objections from others and follow due processes. A senior MSEDCL official said the process should take a maximum of two months. "Till then, the MERC has allowed us to continue with the present tariff, ," he said.
The official further said that since the ‘discrepancy' in some of the figures/data in the tariff order was brought to the notice of MERC, the latter asked the state power utility to file its say in a review petition.
Consumers, especially those in the residential category, were elated by the ‘historic' news of a drop in tariff in the MERC order in March. But they were upset about the order reversal a few days after its implementation, said a power activist. As for other power utility firms such as BEST in the island city, Tata Power across Mumbai, and Adani Electricity in the suburbs, the revised tariff rates have already come into effect, and consumers will see the change in bills from this month. In BEST supply areas, the high-end consumers will witness a 3% hike in rates in the monthly electricity bill, while for Adani customers, the hike will be around 6% for the low-end residential consumers in the 101-300 units consumption category. Tata Power consumers can expect a dip in monthly power bills in all categories for residential consumers, as per the MERC tariff orders.