Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has said that despite many constraints, seven-hour free power supply to 31 lakh agricultural pump sets was being maintained with great difficulty.
Making a statement on power supply position in the State in the Assembly today, the Chief Minister said the demand for power was growing with every passing day. The current power demand (September) was 264MU per day as against 244 MU last year registering an increase of 8.2 percent. The demand from April this year to August was 40148 MU as against 35945 MU for the corresponding period last year registering an increase of 11.9 percent. The demand for power this year has been very high due to continuous dry spell in the State leading to increased demand.
The Chief Minister said that Discoms were supplying around 215 MU per day with a deficit of 49 MU per day this month. From April to August this year, the Discoms have supplied 34485 MU against a requirement of 40148 MU with a deficit of 13.9 percent. Despite capacity addition of 5311 MW in the State during the last seven years, power deficit in the State remained unchanged.
Detailing reasons for power shortage, Kiran Kumar Reddy said that shortfall in hydel generation by 38 MU per day, reduction in gas supply from KG Basin D-6 field resulting in less generation by 15 MU average per day during August 2012 over last year, reduction in generation from Simhadri stage-I and stage-II to the tune of 710 MW due to poor quality of coal coming from Orissa were the reasons for the power shortage.
Explaining the steps being taken to augment power supply, the Chief Minister said the State government has taken advanced action to purchase power during the period from June this year to May next year. Power was being purchased on an average 1300 MW per day. Power was being purchased through power exchanges as and when the same was available. The NTPC Jhajjar power has been allocated to the extent of 131 MW up to October, 2012. The Union government was requested to consider allocation of additional 100 MW till end of May 2013 to meet the critical power crisis. He said that when the Union government was requested to allocate power from its unallocated share, the Centre allocated 10MW of power from Central Generating Stations of Eastern Region from July 30, 2012 to October 31, 2012. The Centre has been approached to allocate power from unallocated power of 300 MW from the Kundankulam Atomic Power Plant and 75 MW from second expansion of Neyveli Lignite Corporation to Andhra Pradesh.
Claiming that the State government has taken up demand management, the Chief Minister said despite several constrains, seven-hour power supply to 31 lakh agriculture pump sets was being ensured with great difficulty by making grouping. Full supply was being ensured for drinking water schemes, Railways, hospitals and other essential services. Lighting the load supply from 6 pm to 6 am in all the rural and urban areas was being ensured. Load relief was being available in towns and mandal headquarters during day time. Industries are being given load relief up to 40 percent. The load relief was essential for safe and secure operation of the Grid, he added.
He also said that 29,346 distribution transformers are being kept as rolling stock so as to replace the failed ones within 48 hours in the rural areas. Substation level committee meetings are being convened to monitor the power supply situation at local level. The district Collectors have been specifically asked to monitor the power supply situation on a day-to-day basis observing criticality of needs in the local areas in their jurisdictions.
FUTURE PLANS TO MEET DEMAND
Explaining future plans to overcome the crisis, Kiran said that to meet the power requirement for the future, the State has prepared medium and long-term plans. Orders were also finalized for supply of 880 MW under medium-term bidding for the period from June 2013 to May 2016. It was planned to add 6279 MW to the grid from APGenco, Central Generation Station and Private Sector by March 2014. Power Grid of India took up construction of 765 KV substations and lines for connecting the southern region grid with new grid. The works are expected to be completed by January 2014 which would enable flow of additional power from new grid to southern region grid. The State was giving emphasis on renewable energy sector. It was proposed to add around 5259 MW by 2017 by wind energy utilizing the wind potential in the State and 1000 MW solar energy. A massive investment of around Rs 20,000 crores was being made in the transmission and distribution sectors over the next four years to augment transmission and distribution infrastructure. (NSS)