Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, May 10: Citing a sharp rise in power demand and increased procurement costs, the Goa electricity department has proposed a phased tariff hike of 5.95% in 2025-26, 5.64% in 2026-27, and 4.88% in 2027-28. No hikes have been suggested for the following two years. The new rates, once cleared by the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC), could take effect from June.

Chief electrical engineer Stephen Fernandes said Goa’s power load has grown by an average of 10% over the past three years, forcing the department to buy power at high rates to cover the shortfall. “We are fortunate to have long-term agreements with NTPC at rates between Rs 1.80 and Rs 3.15 per unit. If we sign such contracts now, the rate would be Rs 6 – Rs 7 per unit,” Fernandes explained. He added that during peak hours, demand rises 25-35%, pushing the department to purchase electricity at open market rates of Rs 10 per unit.

At a public hearing, citizens opposed the proposal, stating the hike would financially burden residents and disrupt industries. Many urged the JERC to delay any hike until the department recovers dues from government departments and defaulters. They also raised concerns about the use of electricity poles by cable TV operators without paying fees and demanded action on power theft.

Roland Martins of the Goa Consumer Action Network criticised the department for not conducting awareness sessions on revised consumer categories. He called for a special unit to identify domestic consumers running tourism businesses and highlighted government failure in recovering losses from the failed aerial bunch cabling project.

Fernandes, however, asserted that outstanding dues and power thefts were not directly linked to the tariff hike. “The main issue is misclassification, where commercial users are being billed under domestic categories,” he said.

The JERC cut short the public hearing, asking remaining speakers to email their objections.