Move to connect solar, wind power stations to 11 kv grids

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh government is formulating a strategy on decentralised power generation through solar and wind power with an aim to reduce transmission and distribution (T&D) loses.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has set a target that the T&D loses should be confined between 4% and 5%. In fact, the energy department could successfully reduce transmission and distribution losses to single digit from 12% to 9.72%.

To achieve the target of reducing the T&D loses, the department is now considering the decentralised power generation. Under this plan, the energy department is focusing on increasing the installing capacity of solar and wind power.

Principal Secretary to Energy department Ajay Jain said the power department was working out a strategy to connect solar and wind power stations to the 11 kv Power Grids which will help to reduce T&D loses. “It is possible to connect solar and wind power generation stations in Ananthapur, Kadapa, Kurnool and Chittoor districts with local 11 kv power grids.

As the transmission and distribution will be done locally by connecting the solar and wind power stations to 11 kv power stations, the T&D loses will be reduced automatically,” Ajay Jain said.

However, the power sector in AP achieved key parameters such as increase in installed capacity from 8,307 MW in 2014 to 18,038 MW in 2018. Zero energy deficit has also been achieved by AP against 8% of deficit in 2014. The installed capacity of solar power increased to 2,148 MW and wind power increased to 3,952 MW.

As the government is considering the power sector is one of the key factors in attracting investments to the state, it is focusing on the installation capacity and supply of quality and cost-effective power. The AP Genco is speeding up NTTPS stage V (800 MW) with a cost of Rs 2,398 crore, SDSTPS stage 11 (800 MW) with Rs 2,275 crore and Polavaram Hydro Electric project (12x80 MW) with an expenditure of Rs 608 crore.

The RTTP stage IV was completed in March. The schedule for completion of NTTPS stage V and SDSTPS stage 11 is June 14, 2019 and first three units in Polavaram hydel will be completed by November 2021 and the remaining will be completed by May 2023. Solar parks in Ananthapur-1 (1000 MW), Kurnool (1000 MW), Galeevedu (500 MW), Kadapa (1000 MW) and Ananthapur-2 (500 MW) are under progress.

The government is also focusing on supply of 24x7 power supply to domestic consumers and has already been supplying 7 hours of free power to agriculture sector. The government issued 60,828 agriculture connections in 2014-15, 72,360 connections in 2015-16, 74,525 connections in 2016-17 and 61,590 connections in 2017-18. It has decided to give another 74,959 connections for 2018-19 fiscal.

However, the progress of 5,000 MW capacity of gas power projects have been pending due to not availability of gas. According to a director of Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Authority, the state government has taken this seriously and raised the issue with the Union government. “APERC chairman raised the gas power projects issue with the Central Electricity Authority in a recent meeting and put pressure on gas allocation,” he said.