UP consumers to pay 10% power surcharge in June

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) has imposed a 10 per cent fuel and power purchase adjustment surcharge (FPPAS) on electricity consumers for June.

The surcharge, based on fuel and power purchase costs incurred in March 2026, is expected to generate around Rs 1,610.57 crore from consumers across the state.

According to a UPPCL order issued on Friday, the calculated FPPAS for March 2026 worked out to 20.61 per cent. However, under the Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission's (UPERC) regulations, the surcharge recoverable in a month is capped at 10 per cent, which will be levied through June electricity bills. The order also indicates that the remaining unrecovered amount may be adjusted in subsequent months.

Reacting sharply, Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Upbhokta Parishad Chairman and State Advisory Committee member Avadhesh Kumar Verma alleged that consumers were being unfairly burdened at a time when they were already facing inflation, rising fuel prices and power supply issues. He claimed that nearly Rs 1,400 crore in old dues of the past two years had been included in the surcharge calculations, inflating the amount to be recovered from consumers.

Verma further alleged that while the UPERC had approved a power purchase cost of Rs 4.94 per unit in its tariff order, UPPCL showed an actual purchase cost of about Rs 5.86 per unit for March 2026, resulting in an additional burden of around Rs 1,610 crore on consumers.

He demanded an independent investigation into the circumstances under which expensive power was procured and questioned purchases from private power producers at higher rates.

The consumer body has also sought UPERC for amendments in the fuel surcharge regulations and urged immediate halt on further recoveries until a detailed investigation is completed.