The employees of Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited feel that Seemandhra has been handed a raw deal when it comes to sharing of power post-bifurcation.
They feel that since the power plants was shared as per geographical location between the two regions, the distribution also should have been based on the same lines.
Talking to The Hindu , the AP Power Employees JAC Chairman V.S.R.K. Ganapathi said, “When everything was shared on the population ratio, why not power. The power that we generate in our region should be first utilised by us and the excess can be given. The present sharing process based on existing Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) is irrational,” he said.
Moreover, another problem that is envisaged is the power situation, once the development activities in Seemandhra are set on roll.
The allocation of power has always been higher for Telangana region on the grounds that the capital city of Hyderabad needed uninterrupted power, more focus on industrial development in the region and more use of higher HP agricultural pump sets.
But now if industrial development is taken up in Seemandhra and a capital city is set up somewhere, then where will the power come from, questioned Mr. Ganapathi.
The total installed capacity of combined Andhra Pradesh was 16,266.3 MW, inclusive of joint sector and individual gas-based power plants, of which Seemandhra accounted for generation of 9,852.8 MW and Telangana accounted for 6,413.5 MW.
But as per the new sharing agreement, the share of Seemandhra comes to 7,870.9 MW and Telangana gets 8,395.4 MW.
When it comes to sharing Discom wise, the two in the Seemandhra - APEPDCL gets 15.08 per cent and APSPDCL gets 30.31, whereas APCPDCL in Telangana gets 38.02 and APNPDCL gets 15.87.
“And this is after the recovery rate in Seemandhra is as high as 98 per cent compared to that of 55 in Telangana, and the transmission loss in Seemandhra is as low as 6.33 compared to 18 in Telangana,” said Mr. Ganapathi.
