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Electricity bills of electricity users in Delhi may increase soon. This can happen after an important decision of the Electricity Appellate Tribunal (APTEL). According to India Today report, the tribunal has rejected the appeal of Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC), which had sought extension of the deadline to repay the dues of about Rs 30,000 crore. These arrears relate to payments that are yet to be made to electricity distribution companies (also known as discoms).
According to the report, this amount is part of a larger plan to repay the dues known as 'regulatory assets' in the power sector. DERC had asked for more time from APTEL to repay this dues. He had argued that if the period for repayment of this amount is extended, then sudden increase in electricity bills of consumers can be avoided. However, according to India Today report, after the tribunal rejected this appeal, now Delhi may have to follow the already fixed deadline to repay the dues.
This matter is related to an order given by the Supreme Court in August 2025. The court had directed the electricity regulators of all states to start paying such dues from April 2024 and complete the process by April 2028. It has also been told in the report that the court had also given the liberty to the regulators that if it is necessary to recover the outstanding amount, then they can change the electricity rates.
This situation is even more sensitive in Delhi because electricity rates have been reduced in recent years, while on the other hand the outstanding amount has been continuously increasing. Unlike some other states, where governments may come forward to bear the burden of such expenses, power distribution in Delhi is handled by private companies. As a result, the burden of repaying this dues may fall on consumers in the coming months. Consumers may have to bear this burden in the form of increased electricity bills, reduction in government subsidies, or a combination of both.
