The Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC)’s latest tariff order is silent on the contentious issue of metering of agricultural connections, numbering nearly 20 lakhs, despite the Commission identifying agriculture as the largest consumer of power, only next to domestic consumers for the next four years.
Of about 23 lakh free power agricultural connections in the State, around 3.5 lakh have been provided with meters. This year alone (2022-23), the farm sector, falling under the low tension (LT) category, is projected to account for 16,780 million units of energy sold, of a total of 86,166 MU.
The domestic sector is likely to consume 32,158 MU. In 2026-27, while the total amount of energy sold will be 1,02,342 MU, the domestic and farm sectors are expected to consume 38,363 MU and 20,097 MU respectively, according to the panel’s workings mentioned in the tariff order.
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