VIJAYAWADA: Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar assured the legislators on Tuesday that the coalition government has not increased electricity tariffs since coming to power and has no plans to do so.
During question hour in the Council, responding to MLCs Shivarami Reddy, Arun Kumar, and Ravibabu, Gottipati criticised the previous YSRCP regime for what he called the mismanagement of the power sector during its five-year rule. He argued that YSRCP leaders had lost credibility on the issue.
He accused the previous government of burdening the public with Rs 15,000 crore in additional charges over its last two years, citing tariff hike proposals of Rs 8,113 crore for 2022-23 and Rs 11,000 crore for 2023-24 submitted to the Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC). Contrasting this with the TDP’s tenure from 2014 to 2019, the energy minister said AP had become a power-surplus State, generating 7,000 MW and stabilising the sector after bifurcation.
He accused the YSRCP regime of halting key projects such as Krishnapatnam Phase 2, VTPS Phase 5, and the 900 MW Polavaram hydropower project, which was 70% complete. He also claimed that the YSRCP government neglected renewable energy initiatives and spent Rs 10,000 crore on short-term power purchases while diverting funds to the AP State Beverages Corporation Limited. He said the current government, leveraging APGENCO, has reduced power purchases by 65% and, with central support for battery storage and PM-KUSUM, is ensuring nine hours of free daytime power for farmers.