The government has asserted that the situation in the power sector would definitely improve by 2014 as various ongoing generation and transmission/distribution projects would be completed by then.
Making a statement in the Assembly on Monday on power supply position in the State, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy said a capacity of 6,279 MW would be added to the 15,800 MW-strong State grid, by 2014 when new projects of AP Genco, Central and private developers would be commissioned. Further, 5,259 MW capacity would be ready under wind energy plants by 2017.
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He said a massive investment of Rs.20,000 crore was being made in next four years in transmission and distribution sectors to reduce loss of electricity during transmission and at the same time improve the quality of power supplied to consumers.
In addition, the 765 KV sub-stations being constructed by the Power Grid Corporation would also be completed by January 2014 connecting the Southern and Western grids. This connection would enable the State to draw extra power from other grids.
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Mr. Reddy justified power cuts being implemented for categories of consumers in different sectors except for farmers, on the ground that the demand had gone up by 8.2 per cent compared to that of last year, reaching 264 million units (mu) per day as against 215 mu of supply made by utilities from all their sources. He pointed out that the severe shortage was caused by non-operation of hydel stations due to poor storages in reservoirs and curtailed supply of gas to gas-based plants.
Short supply
The short supply in gas was such that only 1,156 MW of the 3,356 MW capacity available in these plants could be used now. Gas of 4.5 MMSCMD (million metric standard cubic metres per day) was required to bring the remaining capacity to use.
On the steps taken to mitigate the hardship for consumers, he said 1,300 MW was being purchased from external sources from June itself.