In a significant move to keep the steep rise in the annual expenditure being incurred by the State power distribution companies (DISCOMs) under check and eliminate the scope for irregularities, Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) in-charge chairman P. Venkata Rama Reddy expressed the intent to issue a regulation or comprehensive guidelines in three months, that would exercise greater control over procurements by DISCOMs to rid these transactions of corruption.
He was speaking at a public hearing on the DISCOMs’ Annual Revenue Requirement (ARR) filings for 2026-27 in Vijayawada on Thursday (January 22, 2026).
APERC approves true-up charges amounting to ₹4,498 crore
Responding to a complaint by the Centre for Liberty chairman and retired IPS officer A.B. Venkateswara Rao that the purchase of transformers by the SPDCL since 2022 was fraught with corruption and the costs thereof were sought to be imposed on the consumers in the form of true-up charges, Mr. Venkata Rama Reddy said he issued a detailed cost order in February 2025 on the basis of data secured from Karnataka, Telangana and Tamil Nadu and he did not act hastily even when asked to approve procurements at relatively high prices, saying that it required a detailed study.
