Failing to find any significant improvement in the power supply situation, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy has ordered release of Rs. 600 crore to AP Transco within a week to continue bulk power purchase from open market.
Power shortage is hovering around 60 million units a day now even after a slight drop in demand due to rain. Overall, 216 mu is being supplied while the demand hovers around 276 mu.
Mr. Reddy, who reviewed the power situation with senior officials here on Friday, also asked the Finance Department to consider the immediate requirements of Transco to manage the situation. Out of the Rs. 600 crore to be released now, a sum of Rs. 300 crore was earmarked for purchase of RNLG (re-gasified liquefied natural gas). The remaining amount would be utilised to clear the arrears payable by local bodies to power utilities.
Transco CMD Hiralal Samaria said that an indent had been made to GAIL to get RLNG from next week to operate a capacity of 500 MW.
He said the prospects were rather bleak for lifting or reducing the power cuts being implemented for four hours daily for Hyderabad, Tirupati, Visakhapatnam and Warangal; five hours for district headquarters and other municipal corporations; six hours for towns and municipalities; six hours for mandal headquarters and; for more than eight hours for rural areas.
At the meeting, the Chief Minister prescribed small power purchases wherever available and restoration of 1,400 MW from the NTPC’s 2,000-MW capacity Simhadri station at Visakhapatnam to mitigate the hardship to consumers. The daily coal supply to the plant had gone up to nine rakes from six.
