Bengaluru: After the hike in milk prices, brace for an increase in power tariff from Saturday. While details of the hike are yet to be made, chairman of Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) MK Shankarlinge Gowda said this will be announced within a week.

Last month, energy minister DK Shivakumar and Gowda had confirmed that a power price hike will be effected from April 1 after a series of public hearings.

The Commission has got data from all escoms, except Bescom, which is set to provide it in five days, following which the tariff will be revised, said Gowda.

Escoms had proposed an increase in power tariff by Rs 1.48 per unit, citing drought and power purchase from outside the state. 

In 2012-13, 73 paise hike was proposed but the KERC approved only 13 paise hike. Similarly, KERC approved 23 paise, 32 paise, 13 paise and 48 paise hike as against the request for 70 paise, 66 paise, 80 paise and Rs 1.02 respectively between 2013-14 and 2016-17.

Y G Muralidhara, co-ordinator of Karnataka Electricity Governance Network, said 80 per cent of the cost accrued from consumers goes into power purchase. “We are largely dependent on thermal power, so we are paying more. Earlier, surplus power used to be generated from hydel dams as there was sufficient rain. But with less rain, dependency on hydel power too has decreased.”  

The state generates around 280 MU of power daily, excluding transmission losses. “But we have sufficient power. If there are power interruptions, it could be due to some local issues,” said Naik.