The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : RTPS out to shower relief for power-starved State

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Friday, Jan 05, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

RTPS out to shower relief for power-starved State

M. Malleswara Rao

HYDERABAD: Some relief is in the offing for the energy-starved State, finally. The 210 MW capacity first unit of the expansion project of Rayalaseema Thermal Power Station (RTPS) at Muddanur in Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy's native district Kadapa will be synchronised on January 10. After trial runs from this date, the plant would be dedicated to the nation by Dr. Reddy at a formal function on January 16, Genco Managing Director Ajay Jain told The Hindu here on Thursday.

The expansion project, comprising two units, each of 210 MW capacity, taken up by the Genco at a cost of Rs. 1,640 crores, has been executed by the BHEL. Plans have been drawn up to synchronise the second unit in March.

Each unit is expected to offer nearly five million units to the grid at full capacity. Once the two units stabilise after inauguration, the RTPS complex, which has two old units (each 210 MW), will generate 20 million units.

Hereafter, the RTPS, with a total capacity of 840 MW, will be the third biggest thermal complex in the State next to Vijayawada (1,260 MW) and Kothagudem (1,220 MW).

The complex will have no coal problem as linkage has been provided by the Singareni Collieries Company Limited. Water is ensured to it from Mid-Pennar dam. To pre-empt shortage in future, the Government has accorded permission to Genco to draw water from Brahmamgari Mattam reservoir of the Telugu Ganga project by laying pipelines.

The Genco wants to synchronise the first unit (39 MW) of the Jurala hydel station in March. Work is in full swing on the project taken up with six units, each with 39 MW.

A/C energy savings

Meanwhile, the Transco has put the energy saved out of the ban imposed on A/Cs, refrigerators/lighting in Government offices at over 10 million units a day. "This is as much as having an additional installed capacity of 400 MW," an official said.

Continuing the power cuts at the preset levels in villages and towns, the Transco supplied 152 million units from all its sources.

It claimed that seven-hour supply was being ensured to agriculture pumpsets.

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