VIJAYAWADA: The state energy department said the Andhra Pradesh power utilities have supplied nine-hour uninterrupted free power during the daytime to 100 per cent agriculture feeders for the first time ever.The officials added besides improving the supply, all efforts were being made to establish infrastructure to make free power available for 30 years.
“AP power utilities have created history by supplying free power to more than 18 lakh agricultural services during the daytime under the flagship Navaratnalu programme. The power utilities also completed the upgradation of feeders and other infrastructure development works within a year. We were able to supply free power to 100 per cent agriculture feeders during the Rabi season. This was the first Rabi season to have seen qualitative nine-hour power supply in the daytime in a single spell,” the department said in a statement on Sunday.
Prior to June, 2019, the seven-hour power supply used to be provided in two spells, including at night, the officials added. It may be recalled that more than 90 per cent agriculture feeders were supplied with free power during Kharif season in 2020. For upgrading the infrastructure, the government has spent around Rs 1,700 crore as only 3,854 out of the 6,663 feeders available were capable to meet the needs prior to 2019.The agriculture feeders consume about 15,700 million units of energy per annum, which is almost a quarter of the total energy demand of 64,000 to 66,000 MU per annum in the State.
The department further noted that the subsidy given for the initiative by the government has significantly increased over the last two years. “The subsidy given by government to the agricultural sector in 2018-19 was Rs 6,030 crore against Rs 8,559 crore in 2020-21. This means an additional subsidy of Rs 2,529 crore, which is 40 per cent more than what it was two years ago, was given in 2020-21,” the statement noted. To continue the free power for agriculture scheme for the next three decades, the government is in the process of setting up an exclusive 10,000 MW solar power plant.