 "AP govt to provide 7-hour power supply during rabi crop")
The Andhra Pradesh government is initiating measures to provide seven hours of power supply to all the 3.2 million pump sets during the present rabi season under efficient energy management. The state government has so far spent around Rs 32,000 crore for its free power scheme this year.
Reviewing the restoration works with regard to Phailin and Helen cyclones, constraints in coal supply to power projects and proposed capacity additions, PK Mohanty, chief secretary and chairman of the State Energy Conservation Mission, has requested the authorities of NTPC and Talcher coal fields to resolve the coal crisis caused by local agitations and transport problems.
Allocation of new coal blocks
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“The Centre has allocated additional coal blocks from Sarapal-Nuapada in Odisha, which have an estimated coal reserves of more than 700 million tonne. This is likely to ensure sufficient coal stocks for the proposed power plants of APGenco. A communication has been received by the state from the Union ministry of coal in this regard,” Mohanty said.
The chief minister, N Kiran Kumar Reddy, is going to write a letter to the Union minister of petroleum and natural gas for additional allocation of natural gas from ONGC fields off the AP coast for state-based plants, he added.
According to the chief secretary, hydel generation has been a boon to the power sector and the generation has crossed 5,000 million units (MU) during April-November 2013, as against 2,000 MU generated during the same period last year.
Advising the APGenco to preserve water till January 2014 for hydel generation as power demand is expected to rise due to the peak rabi season, special chief secretary, M Sahoo, said the ongoing projects of generation – Krishnapatnam Unit-I and Unit-II of 800 Mw, Kakatiya (600 Mw), Sagar tail pond (50 Mw), Lower Jurala (80 Mw), and 255 Mw from Tuticorin, 120 Mw from central generating stations and Hinduja Unit-I and Unit-II (520 Mw) – were likely to be commissioned by the end of this financial year.
“Besides, 500 Mw of solar and 500 Mw of wind energy is likely to be added by March 2014,” Sahoo said.