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DVC holds firm on ₹6 power tariff hike as West Bengal industries press Banerjee to act

Industry associations warn the hike could force shutdowns, threatening thousands of jobs in plants employing over 500,000 people

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Damodar Valley Corporation
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Overview

  • DVC chairman S. Suresh Kumar rejected the appeal to Mamata Banerjee as one-sided and said the new rates reflect rising fuel and manpower costs plus compliance with a 2025 Supreme Court order.
  • The West Bengal Electricity Regulatory Commission set the average tariff for DVC consumers at ₹6 per unit for 2025-26, up from ₹5.23 in 2024-25.
  • DVC has sought consent from both West Bengal and Jharkhand governments to form a joint regulatory commission and implement uniform tariffs across its command area.
  • Industry associations have settled ₹2,000 crore of the ₹2,600 crore arrears from 2017–21 but say the remaining ₹600 crore will heighten financial stress on plants.
  • Ferroalloy and steel units note that effective DVC rates of about ₹6.80 per unit, versus ₹4.30 from WBSEDCL, could push operations toward shutdown and job cuts.