LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) has increased the sanctioned electricity load of around 46.79 lakh consumers through its billing software without issuing prior notices, triggering questions over compliance with the Electricity Supply Code, 2025, and the Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (UPERC) latest tariff order.The revision was carried out on Thursday, the same day UPERC issued the tariff order for 2026-27. Clause 6.9(B)(v) of the Electricity Supply Code (Fifth Amendment), 2005, states that if a consumer exceeds the contracted demand continuously for the previous three months, the discom must issue a one-month notice advising the consumer to enhance the contracted load before revising it.The latest tariff order also reiterates that consumers should be informed with complete details if their sanctioned load is revised after the utility observes that their maximum demand exceeded the sanctioned limit at least three times during a financial year.According to UPPCL official source, the 46.79 lakh affected consumers had collectively recorded a maximum demand of 3,654.37 MW, (36.54 lakh kW), beyond their sanctioned loads. Based on this assessment, the utility revised their sanctioned loads in its billing system.“We are now sending an intimation about the revised load to each of the consumers whose sanctioned load exceeded in three continuous months,” said official source of UPPCL.The move is also expected to boost UPPCL’s fixed charge revenue. Domestic consumers are charged a fixed fee of Rs 110 per kW of sanctioned load every month. Based on the additional connected load of 36.54 lakh kW, the revision is estimated to generate around Rs 40 crore in additional monthly revenue through fixed charges alone, excluding any increase in energy consumption charges.The Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Upbhokta Parishad (UPRVUP) questioned the move, arguing that if UPPCL is increasing consumers’ sanctioned loads, it should also proportionately strengthen the state’s electricity infrastructure to support the higher demand.The consumer body pointed to data showing that Uttar Pradesh’s 480 substations of 132 kVA have a combined sanctioned transformation capacity of around 6.25 crore kW, while the state’s 3.73 crore electricity consumers account for a connected load of about 8.57 crore kW.“The widening gap between system capacity and connected demand raises concerns over the adequacy of the distribution network. We ask, as when UPPCL plans to expand its infrastructure in line with the growing consumer load,” said Avadhesh Kumar Verma, the chairman of UPRVUP.
