VIJAYAWADA: In view of increased demand for medical oxygen, the state energy department has prepared an action plan to ensure continuous power supply to oxygen manufacturing plants on priority so as to facilitate faster generation and supply of the critical gas. The department has also appointed special officers for all the 22 oxygen generation units in the state.
In a review meeting held on Friday by energy secretary Srikant Nagulapalli on power supply particularly to hospitals and oxygen generating units, the officials said, “Power utilities have accorded highest priority to oxygen plants in operation and appointed special nodal officers, who are not less than the rank of an executive engineer, to each plant to ensure the continuous power supply. There are 22 such oxygen generating plants under the purview of three Discoms with energy demand of 2,49,196 kilo volt ampere (kVA).”
The secretary directed the power utilities to be on high alert and monitor power supply situation especially oxygen units, hospitals, COVID care centres, other healthcare facilities, and also domestic consumers. He added that alternative supply arrangements should also be in place to the oxygen plants in case of any issue. The officials informed him that alternate sources were in place in case of outages, which are minimal as hospitals are mostly under High Tension (HT) category. Special teams were arranged in each division under the jurisdiction of the three power distribution companies to attend to any breakdown and supply maintenance for uninterrupted power supply,” the three chairpersons and managing directors of APEPDCL, APCPDCL and APSPDCL - S Nagalakshmi, J Padma Janardhan Reddy and H Haranatha Rao - told the secretary.
Noting that employees of the power sector were relentlessly working despite the second COVID-19 wave being more virulent than the first, the secretary lauded the efforts of the frontline warriors. “Hats off to all the officers and staff of the power sector for their service and commitment in this critical juncture and working without leaves even though their families are affected by COVID-19,” he added.