HYDERABAD: The State Government is gearing to face an extended spell of rabi this year with measures to sustain power supply of 190 million units (MUs) to the agricultural sector up to April.

It is anticipating a prolonged rabi season due to good rain and comfortable water position in districts. Under the circumstances, the Government expects the demand to peak to 190 MUs a day during the season as against 180 MUs being consumed daily during the current kharif.

At a meeting to review the power situation on Thursday, Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy asked officials to do their best to maintain seven-hour power supply to farmers till April at the expected load. They could go in for power purchase from other States or step up generation.

On his part, Dr. Reddy offered to take up with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh increased gas supply to the State to meet the demand of gas-based power projects. He was responding to the concerns of Distribution Company (Discom) officials about generation constraints due to short supply of gas, an official press release said.

The officials told him that the present level of generation at gas-based projects was only 600 MW as against an installed capacity of 1,000 MW. They also informed him that they would hold sub-station wise meetings with farmers to urge them to go for irrigated dry crops in rabi in view of generation problems.

Distribution system

Dr. Reddy reviewed the implementation of high voltage distribution system in the State.

The system aimed at replacement of low voltage network with high voltage network through installation of a large number of transformers of small capacities as 16 and 25 KVA for agricultural sector.

A total of 2.15 lakh agricultural services were covered by the system at a cost of Rs. 613 crores so far.

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