APERC Revises Electricity Supply Rules With New Penalties And Compounding Fees In Andhra Pradesh

The Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) has amended the General Terms and Conditions of Supply (GTCS) to bring the state’s electricity regulations in line with recent changes in central law. The amendments were issued from APERC’s Kurnool headquarters on September 2, 2026, following changes introduced through the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026.

The revised provisions focus on reducing criminal action for minor electricity-related offenses and replacing them with clearer financial penalties. The changes are aimed at promoting trust-based governance, simplifying enforcement, and improving the settlement of electricity-related violations.

Under the amended GTCS, persons found negligent in breaking, damaging, or causing injury to electrical materials or supply works may face penalties ranging from ₹5,000 to ₹10 lakh. The same penalty range will apply to repeat offenses involving negligent damage. For intentional injury to electrical works, the penalty has also been increased to between ₹5,000 and ₹10 lakh, compared with the earlier maximum penalty of ₹10,000.

APERC has also removed Section 141, which dealt with penalties for extinguishing public lamps.

The commission has revised Clause 10.5.1.2 to provide consumers with an option to compound certain offenses under Section 152 of the Electricity Act. The provision covers cases involving electricity theft, meter interference or tampering, and intentional damage to electrical works.

The revised compounding fees have been standardized according to the type of offense and electricity connection. Industrial consumers involved in electricity theft will be required to pay ₹20,000 per kW/HP or contracted demand in kVA. For commercial electricity theft, the fee is ₹10,000 per kW/HP or contracted demand in kVA. Agricultural electricity theft will attract a fee of ₹2,000 per kW/HP, while theft involving other services will carry a fee of ₹4,000 per unit of capacity.

Meter interference or tampering will attract a flat compounding fee of ₹10,000. The same ₹10,000 fee will apply for intentional injury to electrical works.

The amendments also update procedural references in the GTCS. References to the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, have been replaced with references to the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.

In addition, a new inflation adjustment mechanism provides for statutory fines and compounding penalties under Sections 139, 140, and 152 to increase automatically by 10% of their minimum prescribed amounts every three years from the enactment of the Jan Vishwas Act.

The amended provisions take immediate effect and apply to all electricity distribution licensees operating in Andhra Pradesh, including APEPDCL, APSPDCL, APCPDCL, and APTransco.