VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy virtually laid the foundation stone and inaugurated a slew of power projects worth Rs 6,500 crore from his camp office on Tuesday.
He laid the stone for two solar power plants, valued at Rs 3,400 crore, in Annamayya and Sri Sathya Sai districts. While he inaugurated 12 sub-stations across the State worth Rs 620 crore, he laid the stone for 16 sub-stations which would be set up with Rs 2,479 crore.
Besides, the Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone for expanding the manufacturing facility of Avera AI Mobility Private Limited and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) for an investment worth Rs 10,000 crore to set up renewable and green energy projects.
Recounting his recent visit to Chintur, Yetipaka, VR Puram and Kunnavaram, some of the submerged mandals under the Polavaram Project, Jagan said the residents brought to his notice the power supply issues they were facing due to the absence of sub-stations. “At the time, I had assured them that their problems would be addressed. Today, I am happy to dedicate these power sub-stations to them,” he expressed.
Observing that the new sub-stations will further strengthen the power transmission infrastructure in the State, he said, “The solar power projects coming up in Annamayya and Sri Sathya Sai districts will create 1,700 jobs.”
Effective system in place to supply quality power to farmers: Jagan
Further, the Chief Minister said a system has been brought in place for effective distribution of quality power to every village and to all farmers. He explained that the YSRC after forming the government in the State spent Rs 1,700 crore to enhance feeder capacity and provide a nine-hour quality power supply to farmers as officials had pointed out that the same could not be done with the existing feeder capacity.
Jagan pointed out that the government has also signed a pact with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to produce 17,000 million units of solar power in the State. Of the total solar power generated, 13,000 million units would be provided to the agricultural sector at the rate of Rs 2.49 per unit as against the present average unit cost of Rs 5.30. This, he said, would reduce the burden on the State exchequer to supply free power to farmers. SECI would make available 3,000 MW in September 2024, another 3,000 MW in September 2025 and 1,000 MW in September 2026.
Congratulating Avera for expanding their production capacity from the current 25,000 e-scooters per annum to 1 lakh at their unit in Vijayawada’s Nunna, he pointed out that the project will create another 200 jobs, in addition to the existing 100. Elaborating on the MoU signed with HPCL, he explained that the company will set up solar and wind energy plants each having a capacity of 500 MW and a 250-MW pumped storage plant with an investment of Rs 10,000 crore.