Power tariff to rise from July (Economy)

Thimphu, June 21: Bhutan Power Corporation Limited (BPCL) has said the power tariff for consumer will rise from July 1 for those consuming more than 80 KWh per month.

For those who consume less than 80 KWh will remain unchanged at Nu 0.75 a unit while for those consuming between 81 to 300 KWh a month will have to pay Nu 1.35 per unit.

Tariff rate for those consumers using over 301 KWh a month will have to pay Nu 1.70 a unit. However, army, police and schools, will be charged only Nu 1.70 a unit.

Medium voltage customers (6.6 to 33 KV) will have to pay 0.13 ch more or Nu 1.43 a unit and high voltage consumers (66 KV and above) will have to pay Nu 1.40 a unit from the existing Nu 1.29. The demand charge for medium and high voltage users is going up by Nu 10 to Nu 75 a unit.

The rates have been revised in the span of one year. BPCL said tariff has been raised after the consumption exceeded than expected.

Only 15 percent of the total generation has been reserved for the country and rest is exported to India.

The increasing number of industries has raised the power demand and the shortage will continue to rise until the Puna Tsangtsu is commissioned.

However, the government has mandated the BPCL to electrify over 45,000 households in rural Bhutan by the end of tenth plan, which seems impossible due to increasing use of power in urban sector and export to India. The erstwhile government had planned to electrify the whole country by end eleventh plan. Bhutan News Service