Having weathered the worst power deficit situation in the State to ensure power supply to agriculture, industry and domestic sectors within six months after assuming power, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has now set a deadline to make Telangana a power surplus State by 2018-19, said Energy Minister G. Jagadishwar Reddy here on Tuesday.
Replying to a short discussion on power for the second day with the opposition benches empty following yesterday’s suspensions in the Legislative Council , Mr. Jagadishwar Reddy said it was unfortunate that instead of appreciating the government efforts -- to overcome the bleak power situation with its meticulous planning and increasing efficiency levels in the generation and transmission system - the Opposition parties are behaving in a manner to strengthen the ‘scheming’ neighbouring government and instigated some people to create chaos in the State. Recalling the way Telangana State was deprived of its share of about 1,500 MW of power from Sileru hydel project, Krishnapatnam and non-conventional energy sources provided in the AP State Reorganisation Act, he alleged the neighbouring State did everything possible to push Telangana into energy crisis. But proving the doom sayers who predicted worst power scenario for Telangana post bifurcation wrong, Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao, who promised people that he would overcome the adverse power situation within one year, had actually delivered on his promise within six months thanks to improvement of plant load factor from 74 per cent to 80 per cent, cut down in transmission losses from 16.83 per cent to 15 per cent and through short and long term power purchases of 3,300 MW through power exchange. While the generating capacity of thermal power in Telangana region in the united State was only 2,222 MW, 2081 MW of hydel power and 2,034 MW from Central generating stations, the TRS government is committed to add 24,272 MW in the next three years to meet demand from agriculture, industry and domestic sectors, he asserted. After March next year, Chief Minister gave orders to supply nine hour power to farm sector during day time. The TSGenco already started projects at Manuguru (1,080 MW), Kothagudem (800 MW) and Dameracharla (4,000 MW) to generate 5,880 MW in the public sector and PFC and REC would extend Rs.30,232 crore and they would be completed in December, 2016, 2017 and 2018 respectively.
In the next few weeks, Bhupalapally (600 MW) thermal project, 1800 MW Genco project by next March, 500 MW of solar power would be added to the grid. The government is also working to strengthen power infrastructure, including transmission lines, to get 1,000 MW from Chhattisgarh, construction of more sub-stations. Overall Rs.1.05 lakh crore would be spent to augment 24,000 MW by 2018-19, he asserted.
