Energy consumption rose by 21% in four years

Vijayawada: As the State's growth is intertwined with power sector, the annual energy consumption in the State has already increased to 21.6% with 60943 MU in 2021-22 when compared to 50077 MU in 2017-18 and it is expected that the demand for energy would go up to 250 MU per day by March-2023, said Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, Minister for Energy, Environment, Forests, Science and Technology.

He participated in the Gandhi Jayanti celebrations and interacted with power utilities here on Sunday. Speaking on the occasion, Peddireddy said, "The electricity growth is crucial for powering the State's future. The energy services are fundamental for fulfilling basic social needs, driving economic growth and fuelling human development. In view of this, the state government is very keen on supplying quality power without interruptions to the consumers."

He said sustained and continuous efforts are being made by APGENCO to start the commercial operation of Sri Damodara Sanjeevaiah Thermal Power Station (SDSTPS) stage-II (1x800MW) Krishnapatnam thermal power plant by the end of October-2022 and Dr Narla Tata Rao Thermal Power Station (Dr NTTPS) stage-V (1x800MW) by March-2023.

The government entered into an agreement with Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to procure 7000 MW of solar power to continue the 9 hours day-time free power to agriculture for the next 30 years. The government is strongly committed to make the power sector pro public and consumer centric, the Minister added.

Keeping in view of the growing demand and future needs, the government has laid special emphasis on increasing the renewable energy generation capacity. The Minister said the government has already announced a renewable energy export policy 2020 to establish wind, solar projects to strengthen the energy sector.

Special Chief Secretary (Energy) K Vijayanand explained to the Minister that the State government has already achieved 40% of its installed energy capacity from renewable energy sources. This brings the total renewable based energy capacity to 7.5 GW, which is around 40% of the total contracted capacity of 18.8 GW. Minister Peddireddy asked power utilities to strive hard to meet consumer satisfaction and reach the expectations of the state government. In the last three years, the government has provided financial assistance of around Rs 40,000 crore to support DISCOMs. This shows the commitment of the State government to strengthen the power utilities", he added.