Keeping in view the severe shortage of power due to inadequate fuel, the State government was making all out efforts to ensure seven-hour power supply to the farm sector and to minimize the inconvenience to the other categories of consumers by purchasing additional power from outside and also encouraging Renewable energy sources apart from enhancing the generating capacity by adopting short-term and long-term measures.
While conveying best wishes to the employees of Power utilities and over 2.5-crore electricity consumers on the occasion of Vijaya Dasami, M. Sahoo, Principal Secretary, Energy said the State government is expected to get considerable additional capacity of Transmission corridor of Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. (PGCIL) by the end of 2013, which will provide some relief as far as power supply position is concerned to the State.
At present, 1000 MW transmission corridor facility was available between Southern and Nothern, Eastern, Western (new) grid and shared by the other southern States Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Goa. The government has directed the AP Transco to initiate measures to strengthen intra-State and inter-State transmission system to meet the electricity requirements of consumers.
Responding to the recent request of the State government, Union Ministry of Power, expedited the ongoing transmission projects of PGCIL with latest art technology of gas insulated 765 KV substations and Extra High Tension lines in Southern region particularly in A.P. to ease power shortage situation in the South to some extent.
It is pertinent to note that with the consistent persuasion of the State government, the Centre has given permission for purchase of Re-gasified Liquefied Natural Gas (R-LNG). With this, around 10 MU of additional power will be available to the AP grid and is expected to provide some relief towards power supply to the industrial sector. Recently Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy wrote to the Centre regarding the inconvenience faced by A.P. due to transmission corridor congestion and requested Centre to increase gas allocation to the State and to advice Ministry of Coal to supply adequate coal to NTPC stations, said. Sahoo.
In the meanwhile, Hiralal Samariya, CMD/APTransco, K. Vijayanand, MD/APGenco and CMDs of DISCOMs — G. Anantha Ramu, Ahmed Nadeem, Karthikeya Mishra, K.V.S. Reddy — also conveyed their wishes to all the electricity associations, employees and consumers on the occasion of Vijaya Dasami. (NSS)