Thiruvananthapuram: Giving another shock to consumers, the Kerala State Electricity Board announced that it will continue to impose fuel surcharge in April. According to KSEB, 7 paise per unit will be collected as a surcharge from consumers who are paying monthly bills and others making payments every two months.

The electricity board decided to levy a surcharge in April after facing an additional financial burden from the purchase worth Rs 14.83 crore in February. In March, KSEB imposed an 8 paise per unit surcharge. The surcharge, which was fixed at 10 paise per unit, was decreased to 8 paise.

In December 2024, the Kerala government issued an order declaring a hike in the power tariff. The State electricity regulatory commission had approved the increase by 16 paise per unit. As per the government order, a hike of 12 paise will come into effect in 2025-26. The tariff hike applies to all consumers using more than 40 units of electricity per month with a connected load exceeding 1,000 watts.