Andhra Pradesh - Guntur   

Lack of proper infrastructure hits power supply

GUNTUR: Just 60 acres of land at Korapadu keeps Guntur district away from becoming the most ‘powerful’ in managing its own power supply needs. Guntur district has the highest power supply demand among six districts of Southern Power Distribution Company Limited with a monthly revenue of Rs.68 crore, but lacks proper infrastructure to support this demand.

The key installation to properly regulate its own demand and supply position, it needs to set up a 400 KV sub- station, for which the AP Transco had been making hectic efforts to buy a 60-acre land at Korapadu in between Sattenapalle and Guntur. Failure of the People’s representatives from the district to convince the local people to part with that much of land at lucrative compensation had stalled this project and now Prakasam district has come forward to house this facility.

Efforts by the District Collector and Joint Collector Kanti Lal Dande seem to have not borne any fruit despite an appeal of AP Transco CMD Ajay Kallam in person in Guntur to get the land at any cost and showed readiness to get equal amount of land in the adjacent area to one or two persons, who wanted so.

Network facilities are the least in Guntur among six districts, though such a facility would improve the reliability on quality power for spinning mills, cement factories in Palanadu region and agriculture pump sets all over the district and domestic supply. The AP Transco, however, is confident of completing a few smaller projects to provide dependable power from March 2009. A 220 KV sub station at Narsaraopet that was scheduled to be commissioned by October might get dragged till March. A 220 KV/132 KV SS along with 132 KV SS at Marripalem between Guntur and Chilakaluripet would be commissioned by the October-end bringing some relief on the single feeder line from Tadikonda. Delayed insufficient rains has pushed up the demand from the agriculture sector at least by 30 mega watts, SPDCL Guntur SE K. Raja Bapaiah told The Hindu. District has a demand of 440 MW and there was sudden jump of 50 MW following lifting of power cut and increased demand in KWD and NSP ayacuts simultaneously.

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