VIJAYAWADA: Acknowledging the best performance of Andhra Pradesh in the power sector and effective implementation of various Central schemes, the Ministry of Power has selected Visakhapatnam to hold the Ujjwal Bharat Ujjwal Bhavishya – Power @2047 event on July 30. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address consumers of Visakhapatnam virtually.
The prime minister is expected to elaborate on the country’s major strides made in the power sector and Energy Vision-2047. The State government has already made elaborate arrangements to organise the Ujjwal Bharat Ujjwal Bhavishya celebrations in all the 26 districts of the State as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
The State Energy Department along with the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) and Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) have finalised locations to organise elaborate celebrations.
Joint Secretary for Ministry of Power, Piyush Singh will oversee arrangements for the PM’s videoconference while BEE Director General Abhay Bakre is coordinating with the AP government as well as State-designated agencies (SDAs) for the successful conduct of the event.
In a videoconference with officials, Energy Minister Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy directed them to make foolproof arrangements for PM Modi's address. The State government has been successfully implementing all the Central government schemes in the power sector, including the Integrated Power Development Scheme, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana and village electrification among others. It has prioritised the energy sector and initiated concrete steps to strengthen it both operationally and financially.
"Thanks to the foresight of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, the State government has entered into an agreement with Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI) for getting 7,000 MW exclusively to cater to agriculture needs in the next 25 years with the Centre’s support," the minister said.
The SECI will begin supplying solar power in three tranches - 3,000 MW from September 2024, 3,000 MW from September 2025 and 1,000 MW from September 2026.Keeping the future energy demand in mind, the government has planned to construct 29 Pumped Hydro Storage Power Projects (PSP) across all districts with a capacity of 33,240 MW,
The government has also introduced the Renewable Energy Export Policy in a bid to promote renewable energy projects for exporting power.The government has provided around Rs 1,700 crore for segregation of agriculture feeders, which will help supply free daytime power for nine hours. It has also extended Rs 34,000 crore financial support to power utilities to strengthen DISCOMS, Ramachandra Reddy added.
