6,279 MW of power to be added to grid
To meet the power requirement for the future, the state government proposes to add 6,279 MW of capacity to the grid from APGenco, central generation stations and private sector by March 2014.
Chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy tabled a statement on the power supply position on the first day of the monsoon session of the state legislative Assembly on Monday mentioning that a massive investment of around Rs 20,000 crore was being made in the transmission and distribution sectors over the next four years to augment transmission and distribution infrastructure.
Explaining the plans to overcome the crisis, Kiran said the state prepared medium-term and long-term plans. Orders were also finalised for supply of 880 MW under medium-term bidding for the period from June 2013 to May 2016.
The Power Grid Corporation of India took up construction of 765 KV substations and lines for connecting the southern grid with the new grid.
The works are expected to be completed by January 2014 which will enable flow of additional power from the new grid to the southern grid. The state is also laying emphasis on renewable energy and proposes to add 5,259 MW of wind energy and 1,000 MW of solar energy by 2017.
The chief minister claimed that despite many constraints, seven-hour free power supply to 31 lakh agricultural pump sets was being maintained with great difficulty.
Full supply of power is being ensured for drinking water schemes, railways, hospitals and other essential services.
He said the demand for power was growing with every passing day. The current demand (September) is 264 million units (MU) a day as against 244 MU last year, an increase of 8.2 percent.
The demand between April and August this year was 40,148 MU as against 35,945 MU in the same period last year, an increase of 11.9 percent. The demand for power this year has been very high due to continuous dry spell.
The Discoms are supplying around 215 MU per day with a deficit of 49 MU per day this month. From April to August this year, Discoms supplied 34,485 MU against the requirement of 40,148 MU, a deficit of 13.9 percent. Despite a capacity addition of 5,311 MW in the state in the last seven years, the power deficit has remained unchanged.
Explaining the steps being taken to augment the power supply, Kiran Kumar Reddy said the government had taken advance action to purchase power between June this year and May next year, 1,300 MW per day on an average. Power is being purchased through power exchanges as and when it is available.
Reddy said the state requested the central government to allocate power from its unallocated share from Central Generating Stations of Southern Region up to 500 MW.
The Centre has been approached to allocate power from unallocated power of 300 MW from the Kudankulam Atomic Power Plant and 75 MW from the second stage of Neyveli Lignite Corporation, both in Tamil Nadu, to the state.
As against the installed capacity of 3,356 MW of gas-based power generating stations, only 1,156 MW is being generated due to short supply of KG-6 gas. The state requested the Centre to arrange additional natural gas of 4.6 MMSCMD so that the gas-based power plants can operate at least at 75 percent PLF.
District collectors were specifically asked to monitor the power supply situation on a day-to-day basis, he added.