Hyderabad: Power sector set to propel all-round growth across TS

Hyderabad: Telangana TRANSCO and GENCO Chairman and Managing Director D Prabhakar Rao said power and irrigation sectors have a major role to play in the development of infrastructural facilities in the State.

Talking to The Hans India, Rao said since Telangana State was formed, the government had laid special emphasis on strengthening the energy sector including power generation and transmission to meet the growing power demand.

This had become all the more necessary since the government introduced 24-hour power supply to the farm sector and took up construction of the giant lift irrigation projects – Kaleshwaram and Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PLIS) in the State.

After the launch of the round-the-clock power supply scheme for agriculture the demand for power had increased to 10,800 MW and it will touch 13,000 MW to cope with the demand from lift irrigation projects.

Rao said that the government has spent Rs 26,000 crore for the development of the energy infrastructure in the last three years.

The power transmission network was also consolidated from 14,700 MVA to 34,500 MVA after the formation of Telangana.

"Now, we are equipped with required transmission network to supply power to the major lift irrigation schemes as well as the domestic, commercial and industrial needs."

Referring to the increasing day temperatures, he said that to meet the power demand during summer, all necessary arrangements were already in place. The power utilities propose to go in for hydel power generation by using the reversible water pumping facilities at hydel power generation units at Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar projects if necessary.

He said the current total installed capacity of the power generation in Telangana is 16,225 MW and 1,080 MW will be added by the end of this June. The 540 MW ( 270 MW x2 ) unit at Bhadadri will be commissioned in March this year and another unit with 540 MW (270 x2) will start power generation by May and June this year.

Similarly, power generation unit with 1,600 MW (800MW x 2) taken up by NTPC at Ramagundam will also be completed by this October and another project with same capacity will be commissioned by March 2021.

He further said that once 4,000 MW project at Yadadri thermal project was commissioned, Telangana will attain the status of being a self-sufficient State in power generation. This would happen by the end of 2020, he said.

Rao said that once it attains the status of being self-sufficient, "Telangana will no longer need to enter into any long term PPAs to meet the power demand. After formation of Telangana, the government entered into only two long-term PPAs with Chattisgarh government and Sebmcorp company."

He said since power was an important component in development of infrastructure, Telangana had laid great emphasis on this sector and in six years it is going to be self-sufficient which would help in giving a boost to development of the State in various fields.