Andhra govt to pay Rs 4,500 crore true-up power dues to DISCOMS

Amaravati, Jan 2 (PTI) The APERC said the state government has come forward to pay Rs 4,500 crore worth true-up dues to power distribution companies in an "effort to avoid hardship to end consumers".

True-up dues encompass accumulated gaps in revenue and costs, and this quantum of Rs 4,500 crore reportedly pertains to the previous YSRCP regime between 2019 and 2024.

"It is noted that the Government of Andhra Pradesh...has undertaken to pay the DISCOMS the true-up amount to avoid hardship to end consumers," Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) secretary P Krishna said in a press release, shared on Friday.

Discom-wise true-up dues are: Andhra Pradesh Southern Power Distribution Company Ltd (APSPDCL) - Rs 1,552 crore; Andhra Pradesh Central Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (APCPDCL) - Rs 1,163 crore; and Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company Ltd (APEPDCL) - Rs 1,783 crore.

As the government has come forward to clear true-up dues, the commission directed the DISCOMS to claim them from the government.

According to an official press release, the true-up dues were deferred during the erstwhile YSRCP government and were passed on as future true-up claims.

"Recognising the serious impact such a large retrospective burden would have had on end consumers, the Government of Andhra Pradesh formally undertook to pay the entire approved true-up amount on behalf of the DISCOMs, thereby avoiding any tariff shock," said the press release.

Further, it alleged that the dues piled up due to "financial mismanagement and delayed decisions under the previous government". PTI STH ADB