10,000 crore to ramp up T&D network

Vijayawada: After establishing a trendsetting national record in power sector in the country by reducing transmission and distribution (T&D) losses to a single digit even amidst most adverse conditions in wake of skewed bifurcation of the State, the Transmission Corporation of Andhra Pradesh Limited (AP Transco), is now gearing up to invest as much as Rs10,000 crore in the transmission sector as well as in DISCOMs in the coming 2-3 years to cap T&D losses at 5 to 6 per cent.

The proposal was chalked out at a meeting Principal Secretary (IT) and CMD of AP Transco and MD of AP Genco, K Vijayanand, held with Dinesh Paruchuri and Umapathi, JMDs of AP Transco, Y Adam and J V Rao, Directors of Transco, Adinarayana, Nageswara Rao, Mohan Rao and Chandra Sekhar, Directors of Genco, here on Wednesday. 

The meeting decided to submit a report to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. Speaking on the occasion, Vijayanand noted that the State now stood first in ramping down the T&D losses to the lowest level in the country. Transco could save about Rs 1,000 crore by way of scaling up its efficiency. “We had registered 14 per cent losses in 2014 and it was brought down to 9.72 per cent (by 2018),” he said. 

Transco is also focusing on a complete solution for low voltage problem even in the remote areas of the state and accordingly strengthening its systems in rural areas. “As part of efforts to fix the problem of low voltage, the AP Transco is going to establish four new 400 KV substations at a cost of about Rs 1,000 crore.

Besides, 16 new 132 KV substations, 960 CKM of 400 KV lines, 345 CKM of 220 KV lines and 476 CKM of 132 KV lines in 2018-19 will be added for strengthening of transmission network to meet the growing demand for power and also reduce the losses and to ensure highest availability of transmission network.” he disclosed.