Kohima: The Department of Power Nagaland (DoPN) wants more money. It has proposed a new tariff hike covering the period from October 2026 to March 2027. If the Nagaland Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) gives the green light, postpaid power bills will jump by 6.4 percent. Prepaid rates will stay exactly where they are.
The department serves 3.5 lakh registered consumers. During the 2023-24 fiscal year, the state burned through 448.81 million units of energy. The DoPN now uses a progressive billing system that punishes heavy usage. It acts just like a tax bracket for power.
Households using 100 units face a 3.1 percent bump. Those hitting 250 units see a 6.29 percent hike. Big users who cross the 250-unit threshold pay 50 paise more per unit. The cost climbs from Rs 7.8 to Rs 8.3 per unit. A family using 300 units monthly currently pays Rs 2087.5. By October 2026, their bill will hit Rs 2200.
Commercial and industrial users also face pain. Their rates will rise between 5 and 5.5 percent. High-end commercial users will pay Rs 10.35 per unit. Industrial users face rates up to Rs 8.7 per unit. Bulk consumers will see their rate move from Rs 7.6 to Rs 8 per unit.
The DoPN is dangling a carrot to force a switch to prepaid smart meters. Domestic prepaid users will pay a flat Rs 6.05 per unit. Bulk prepaid users get a rate of Rs 7.35. Currently, 26,752 consumers have prepaid meters. The department hopes this gap in pricing will win over holdouts. The DoPN stated that this is a “manoeuvre intended to woo postpaid consumers playing hard to get.”
Revenue targets are shifting. The department revised its 2026-27 Aggregate Revenue Requirement to Rs 889.17 crore. This excludes non-tariff income. Power purchase costs, including transmission, dropped to Rs 581.59 crore in the November 2025 filing.
Public vetting is underway. The NERC notified the proposal on August 4. Consumers have until August 14, 2026, to weigh in. Residents can email nerc_kohima@yahoo.com or cepower1@gmail.com with feedback. Written comments can also go to the Deputy Director of NERC in Kohima.
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