Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Goa’s efforts to influence electricity consumption patterns through Time-of-Day (ToD) tariffs have received a poor assessment in the latest national ranking of power distribution utilities, with the State recording its lowest performance in demand-side response.
The Distribution Utilities Ranking (DUR) Report for FY 2024-25 has given Goa just 19 marks out of 100 for Demand-Side Response, with the Ministry of Power pointing to inadequate implementation of ToD tariffs as a key area requiring improvement.
The report has called upon Goa to strengthen the rollout of ToD tariffs and undertake the installation of ToD meters among eligible consumer categories, with agriculture excluded from the recommendation.
One of the key concerns highlighted in the assessment is the absence of measurable ToD coverage among consumers. Goa received zero marks for the percentage of consumers covered by ToD tariffs, despite having a tariff mechanism in place.
The finding comes against the backdrop of Goa’s decision to keep domestic consumers outside the ToD system for the next three years. The State had introduced ToD tariffs in October 2025, but the rollout was subsequently confined to industrial consumers following opposition from sections of the public.
The ToD mechanism is intended to encourage consumers to use more electricity during periods when demand is lower and reduce consumption during peak hours. Such a shift can help distribution companies manage pressure on the electricity network and reduce sharp peaks in demand.
Under Goa’s revised ToD structure, eligible low-tension consumers with smart meters opting for the system pay 80 per cent of the applicable normal tariff from 9 am to 5 pm. The charge rises to 120 per cent from 5 pm to 1 am, while the period between 1 am and 9 am attracts the standard tariff.
The Ministry’s scoring also shows gaps across individual components of ToD implementation. Goa secured 11.4 out of 30 for ToD tariff applicability, 3.8 out of 10 for the peak-period tariff component and 3.8 out of 10 for the solar/off-peak component. The State obtained 19 out of 50 for availability of ToD tariffs in accordance with Ministry rules.
The weak DSR score, however, did not translate into poor overall performance. Goa achieved 100 marks in both Renewable Purchase Obligation achievement and Communicable System Metering.
The State also recorded scores of 84.8 for Annual Integrated Rating, 76.1 for Consumer Service Rating and 75.2 for Resource Adequacy, taking its overall combined score to 78.5.
The DUR assessment covers six broad areas of electricity distribution performance — financial and operational performance, consumer services, renewable purchase obligations, system metering, demand-side response and resource adequacy.
For Goa, the report underlines a clear gap between its strong performance in several conventional distribution indicators and its relatively limited progress in using consumer-level tariff mechanisms to manage electricity demand.
