Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday said that he had asked the Energy Department not to increase power tariff.
AP and Telangana Governor ESL Narasimhan along with Mr. Naidu inaugurated the office spaces of Vidyut Soudha (AP Transco and AP Genco) and State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC) at Gunadala near Ramavarappadu Ring.
Later, addressing a gathering of employees, Mr. Naidu said, “We will soon launch second power sector reforms aimed at increasing energy storage and use of disruptive technologies. The smart power grid will bring down the distribution losses from current 9% to around 3% and solar power revolution will also contribute to lowering the cost of power. The department officials have to come up with innovative ideas to reduce the cost and they will be given incentives from the profits they create as a token of appreciation.”
Tapping sunlight
He said that increasing storage capacity would be the next revolution in the energy sector. “Once we achieve a breakthrough in storage capacity, the cost of solar power goes down further. India receives a huge amount of sunlight unlike any other country and we can generate more power with less cost,” Mr. Naidu said, adding that smart meters which will be soon introduced in the state will help to monitor power supply at the household level and reduce overall power loss. On the Vidyut Soudha, Mr. Naidu said that Genco and Transco are the first ones to have a full-fledged permanent office space with smart technology in the capital post bifurcation.
Mr. Narasimhan, who delivered his speech in a witty manner, said, “I thought ‘power’ of Andhra Pradesh was in Amaravati until now but it is here at Vidyut Soudha now.”
Disputes with TS
Mr. Narasimhan said, “Creation of a power bank should be our next target so that we can give it to others also. The State should have electric vehicles that keep the environment free from pollution in future.”
Speaking about the issues between the AP and Telangana governments with regard to the power sector, Mr. Narasimhan said, “I know there are certain problems. We will discuss them with Telangana and sort them out at the earliest.”
Minister for Energy K. Kala Venkata Rao, Energy I&I and CRDA, Principal Secretary, Ajay Jain, Chairman and Managing Director of Transco, and Managing Director of Genco K. Vijayanand were among those present.
