State govt gears up to meet increasing power demand

Vijayawada: The peak power demand in the upcoming summer will be around 13,700 megawatts, and the electricity demand is expected to reach approximately 260 million units per day. The State government is gearing up to meet increasing power demand.

As part ot it, Chief Secretary K Vijayanand conducted a high-level review meeting with power utilities over a video-conference and emphasised the need for collective efforts to provide nine hours of free power to agricultural sector and maintain 24x7 uninterrupted power supply for all other consumers.

During the video-conference participated by APGENCO MD KVN Chakradhar Babu, Kirthi Chekuri, JMD APTRANSCO, CMDs of DISCOMs and other senior officials, the Chief Secretary said that the government has sanctioned 40,000 new agricultural connections across the State, out of which 12,846 connections have been released and officials were asked to expedite the release of the remaining connections.

He said the APTRANSCO has successfully commissioned multiple substations and transmission lines, including a 400/220 kV Gas Insulated Substation at Thallayapalem, Guntur district, and 220/132/33 kV substations in Kurnool and Chittoor districts.

Several 132 kV and 220 kV transmission lines have also been completed in Kakinada, West Godavari and Anantapur districts.

The Chief Secretary commended the progress made in the ‘PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana’ under which over 9,702 rooftop solar installations with a cumulative capacity of 34,465 kw have been completed across various DISCOMs.

He also reviewed solarisation under the PM-KUSUM scheme, wherein the government has secured the allocation of 1,00,000 solar pumpsets and directed utilities to expedite the project to achieve the targets set by Government of India

K Vijayanand stressed the importance of adhering to project timelines to maintain Andhra Pradesh’s leadership in power sector reforms and sustainability. He directed officials to submit periodic progress reports and ensure seamless execution of projects that support the State’s vision of becoming a clean energy hub.