Consequent to the Srisailam and other major projects receiving copious inflows in the last few weeks following heavy rains, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has called for a comprehensive report on whether the increase in hydel power generation helps in capping the power tariff at the present level and to what extent.
In a teleconference with Ministers K. Kala Venkat Rao, Devineni Umamaheswara Rao, and N. Lokesh, and senior bureaucrats on Sunday, Mr. Naidu reiterated that he did not want to increase the power tariff in 2018-19 and the State was fortunate to have most of the projects filled to their capacities. This, he said, paved the way for production of cheaper hydel power.
With the decision not to increase the power tariff in 2018-19, more than 1.50 crore consumers would benefit, he asserted.
The Chief Minister directed the officials to formulate an action plan for making A.P. the leader in water and energy security, which would spur growth.
‘Groundwater levels up’
Chief Secretary Dinesh Kumar informed Mr. Naidu about the rise in groundwater levels across the State, notably in the parched Anantapur district.
Mr. Naidu expressed happiness that 2.83 lakh cusecs of water was reaching Nagarjunasagar, and hoped that the overall situation would improve.
APGenco MD and APTransco CMD K. Vijayanand explained that through the Donkarai, lower and upper Sileru, Machkund, and Srisailam projects, 2,200 million units of hydel power was expected to be generated this year. He further stated that with the power generation in Srisailam alone, the State’s energy sector was poised to benefit to the extent of ₹300 crore to ₹400 crore.
Principal Secretary (energy) Ajay Jain said Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Gujarat had power purchase costs pegged at ₹3.90, ₹4.1, ₹4.26, ₹4.35, and ₹4.42 as against A.P.’s ₹4.09, which could be reduced further by deploying advanced technologies.
