VIJAYAWADA: With the state Cabinet giving its nod recently to rename Andhra Pradesh Green Energy Corporation Ltd to form Andhra Pradesh Rural Agriculture Supply Company, efforts are on to have the special distribution company (Discom) to take forward the government's initiative to provide free agriculture power for nine hours in the day time for the next 25 years on a sustainable basis.
The government is figuring out modalities to have the Discom up and running as it is in the process of signing an agreement to procure 7,000 MW from Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) under the latter’s manufacturing-linked initiative.
The assets under the three Discoms in rural areas, including transmission and distribution network, would be used by the new Discom by paying necessary charges for utilising them. Energy Minister Balineni Srinivasa Reddy said no farmer would be burdened because of the policy and that the State government would pay the subsidy to the rural agriculture supply company.
SECI, in a letter in September, said that it expected solar power to be made available in a phased manner from September, 2024.
The minister, in a statement issued on Wednesday, said that the state government was committed to strengthen existing 24x7 power supply, nine-hour free power supply to agriculture during the day time and provide better services to consumers.
He noted that consumer interest was paramount to the government and that it has never compromised on ensuring power supply despite major challenges such as COVID-19 and the coal crisis. "As power is a critical driver of the economy, 24x7 supply is one of the most important policies of the government. The government wants to achieve 100 per cent excellence in uninterrupted power supply at international standards," the minister said.