Andhra Pradesh   

Efforts to tide over power crisis in A.P. stepped up

Special Correspondent

State to spend Rs.125 crore in January to procure energy

HYDERABAD: With increasing protests by farmers over erratic power supply, the Andhra Pradesh Government has stepped up efforts to tide over the crisis by increasing generation from Srisailam to 800 MW, purchasing additional power and urging the Centre to immediately supply 500 MW from the "unallocated" energy.

Disclosing this to reporters here on Monday, Power Minister Mohd. Ali Shabbir and

Major Irrigation Minister Ponnala Lakshamaiah said that apart from overdrawing from the Central generating stations, 100 MW was being purchased since Sunday from West Bengal and Calcutta Electricity Company.

In all, the State was spending an additional Rs.4.8 crore a day to improve power availability. The additional expenditure for purchase of power was estimated at Rs.121 crore this month. The Ministers said the unit eight (110 MW) of the Kothagudem Thermal Power Station was expected to be back in service by Monday evening and the 10th unit (250 MW) soon. Another 210 MW unit of the Rayalaseema Thermal Power Station would start operation from January 10. About 150-550 MW was proposed to be purchased in January. The procurement and drawal from Central stations would cost around Rs.125 crore next month.

Mr. Shabbir Ali is rushing to Delhi on Tuesday to meet Union Power Minister S. K. Shinde to press the State's request for 500 MW of unallocated power. The Centre had indicated that 250 MW of unallocated power would be given besides agreeing to supply 115 MW from the Kaiga Atomic Plant.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Efforts to tide over power crisis in A.P. stepped up
Professional bonding
Tribal beat
Noble gesture
Briefly

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu