Vijayawada: Even as the annual energy consumption in Andhra Pradesh increased to around 31.45 per cent with 65,830 MU in 2022-23 when compared to 50,077 MU in 2017-18, the State Government is keen to emerge as the leading player in green energy generation, energy efficiency and thermal power generation to ensure round-the-clock supply of quality power.
Special Chief Secretary, Energy K Vijayanand on Sunday said their focus is on materialising all the 42 MoUs envisaging an investment of Rs 9.5 lakh crore. The MoUs were signed at the Global Investor Summit (GIS) held in Visakhapatnam sometime ago. During a review meeting, Vijayanand said that the government has already announced a renewable energy export policy 2020 to establish wind solar hybrid projects to strengthen the energy sector. Besides, pumped hydro storage projects (PSP) with a capacity of around 33 GW have been planned both on river and off river sites.
With the completion of these projects, AP will be number one in the power sector in the country and can export surplus power to other States. Emphasising the need for providing best services to the consumers, he said that the consumer is always the boss for the sector and the electricity employee communities are like pillars of the power sector. During the district level review meetings at field level also, the employee community declared their commitment to work round the clock to provide quality power supply to the consumers, Special CS said.
He said that Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and Energy Minister Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy are keen on providing reliable power supply to consumers and free power to agriculture. The government entered into an agreement with Solar Energy Corporation of India to procure 7,000 MW to continue the nine hours day-time free power to agriculture for the next 25 years.
APGENCO MD K V N Chak radhar Babu said they are supplying around 102 to 105 million units to the State Grid on a daily basis: “Anticipating a bright future for the power sector, the State Government has resolved to make AP No. 1 State with abundant availability of cost effective power supply to the consumers and future generations as well with a huge focus on transforming the power sector in all aspects and achieving energy security.”
