Power curbs in AP to go; farm sector to get 7-hour supply

The Hindu Businessline - Hyderabad, Oct. 28: 

Power consumers in Andhra Pradesh are heading for better days ahead with the load shedding on farm sector, industrial consumers and also domestic consumers set to be lifted.

The State Chief Minister, Mr. N Kiran Kumar Reddy, today asked the AP Transco to immediately restore seven hours of power supply to farmers and also remove supply restrictions in the peak hours to the industrial sector. The power position has improved now.

According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office, top priority would be to restore the agricultural power supply to seven hours and also remove the restrictions on the industrial sector.

The industries were faced with power holidays and domestic sector in urban areas of up to four hour cut.

During a detailed review meting of the energy sector, the Chief Minister wanted the energy sector to chalk out a comprehensive action plan to make the State power surplus by 2014. The Energy Department was asked to tighten all loose ends. The State Government on its part will take up with the Centre issues like gas allocations and coal linkage for power projects and other clearances to increase the capacity.

The power supply position, which was satisfactory till September 13 with no scheduled cuts to any sector, worsened due to steep fall in thermal generation from AP Genco and NTPC due to strike by miners of Singareni Collieries. Inflows into Srisailam, which was 1.5 lakh cusecs then, had stopped from September 29, leading to fall in hydel power output.

The average demand during October 2011 was 268 million units (MU) per day against 219 MU per day during the same period last year registering an increase of 22.5 per cent. In September 2011 it was 253 MU per day (209 MU per day) an increase of 21 per cent.

Due to this, AP DISCOMS were forced to impose power cuts to all sectors. The average load relief during September 2011was 21.5 MU per day and during October 2011 is 38 MU per day.

During the strike period, Discoms purchased 1250 MU at a cost of Rs.405 crore to meet the increasing power requirement. Additional expenditure of Rs. 149 crore was incurred to procure coal.

Officials said that to preserve water for power requirement during rabi, the hydel generation from Srisailam was stopped.