SC stays tribunal order on power tariff hike for Tata, Adani

New Delhi, Aug 25 :

The Supreme Court Monday put on hold the Electricity Appellate Tribunal’s (APTEL) interim order on compensatory tariff that had allowed the Tata Power and Adani Power to charge enhanced power tariff from Haryana discoms since March this year.

A bench of Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar and Justice Arun Mishra stayed the operation of the APTEL order on a petition by the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited that was represented by the Haryana Power Purchase Centre.

The Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited had challenged the tribunal order that had allowed the two power producing companies to charge hiked power tariff from March

The apex court, while staying the hike in power tariff, said that two companies could not seek a tariff hike on the grounds of unforeseen escalation in the imported fuel prices as it had secured the contract for the supply of power to the state discoms based on tariff based competitive bidding process.

Asking the tribunal to decide the matter as expeditiously as possible, the court took on record the statement by senior counsel Harish Salve and Abhishek Manu Singhvi who appeared for Tata Power and Adani Power respectively that they would accept payment in terms of power purchase agreements without prejudice to their claim for hike in tariff.

Taking on record the statement by Tata Power and Adani Power, the court said that APTEL order would remain inoperative.

(IANS)