The government will revive New Government Electric Factory (NGEF), Hubli and convert it into a transformer repair centre.
There are around 4,25,000 electric power transformers installed in the state and around 5,000 of them develop snags every month, according to Energy Minister Shobha Karandlaje.
The Karnataka Vidyuchakthi Karkhane (Kavika), which manufactures around 24,000 transformers a year, cannot repair all of it, she added.
In the last two years transformers have been developing snags more frequently due to prolonged use of pumps due to failure of rains, she said. And with delays in replacing the faulty transformers, several districts especially Kolar, Chitradurga and Tumkur are facing severe shortage of transformers.
In many villages, farmers run irrigation pumpsets illegally and transformers breakdown unable to withstand the load, she said.
She told Express that the government will install machinery at NGEF Hubli for repair works. The staff will also be trained and monitored through CCTV cameras to ensure repair work is taken up on priority.