The Jharkhand State Electricity Regulatory Commission (JSERC) has increased retail electricity tariffs for all categories for the financial year (FY) 2026-27.

The Commission has also increased open access charges, including cross-subsidy surcharge and wheeling charges, with notable year-on-year hikes.

Industrial Category

Industrial consumers have seen an increase in energy charges across all categories, while fixed charges remain unchanged.

For low-tension industrial supply, the energy charge has increased 8.2% from ₹6.10 (~$0.065)/kVAh to ₹6.60 (~$0.070)/kVAh, with the fixed charge continuing at ₹150 (~$1.60)/kVA/month.

For high-tension industrial supply, the energy charge has risen 8.5% from ₹5.90 (~$0.063)/kVAh to ₹6.40 (~$0.068)/kVAh, while the fixed charge remains ₹400 (~$4.26)/kVA/month.

For high-tension special service consumers, the energy charge has gone up 10.5% from ₹5.25 (~$0.056)/kVAh to ₹5.80 (~$0.062)/kVAh, with the fixed charge unchanged at ₹400 (~$4.26)/kVA/month.

Commercial Category

Energy charges for commercial consumers have been revised upward, with no change in fixed charges for low-tension categories.

For rural commercial consumers with a connected load above 5 kW, the energy charge has gone up 8.1% from ₹6.20 (~$0.066)/kWh to ₹6.70 (~$0.071)/kWh, while the fixed charge remains at ₹120 (~$1.28)/kW/month.

For urban commercial consumers with a connected load above 5 kW, the energy charge has increased 9% from ₹6.70 (~$0.071)/kWh to ₹7.30 (~$0.078)/kWh, while the fixed charge remains unchanged at ₹200 (~$2.13)/kW/month.

For high-tension commercial consumers, the approved energy charge is ₹8 (~$0.085)/kVAh, with a fixed charge of ₹400 (~$4.26)/kVA/month.

Domestic Category

For domestic consumers, energy charges have been increased across all segments, while fixed charges remain unchanged.

For rural consumers, the energy charge has increased 7.5% from ₹6.70 (~$0.071)/kWh to ₹7.20 (~$0.077)/kWh, while the fixed charge remains at ₹75 (~$0.80)/connection/month.

For urban consumers, the energy charge has gone up 8% from ₹6.85 (~$0.073)/kWh to ₹7.40 (~$0.079)/kWh, while the fixed charge remains unchanged at ₹100 (~$1.07)/connection/month.

For high-tension domestic consumers, the energy charge has risen 12.5% from ₹6.40 (~$0.068)/kVAh to ₹7.20 (~$0.077)/kVAh. The fixed charge continues at ₹150 (~$1.60)/kVA/month.

Open Access Charges

The Commission has revised open access charges with increases across all components.

The cross-subsidy surcharge for commercial and industrial consumers has been increased 11.4%, from ₹1.75 (~$0.019)/kWh to ₹1.95 (~$0.021)/kWh, and is applicable across both 11 kV and 33 kV and above voltage levels.

Wheeling charges have seen the steepest increase. At 11 kV, wheeling charges have risen 32.7% from ₹0.49 (~$0.005)/kWh to ₹0.65 (~$0.007)/kWh. At 33 kV and above, the charges have gone up 31.6% from ₹0.19 (~$0.002)/kWh to ₹0.25 (~$0.003)/kWh.

Transmission charges have been increased 7.9% from ₹0.38 (~$0.004)/kWh to ₹0.41 (~$0.004)/kWh.

To make distribution companies more financially viable, the Ministry of Power proposed an amendment to the Electricity Act, 2003, mandating the electricity regulators to issue cost-reflective power tariffs. The move comes in the background of the Supreme Court asking DISCOMs to issue cost-reflective electricity tariffs to ensure the financial viability of the power sector.

In August 2025, the Supreme Court directed the states to clear the pending dues of approximately ₹1.74 trillion (~$19.72 billion) owed to DISCOMs within four years. New dues created after April 1, 2024, must be liquidated within three years.

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