Power demand rises by 8% in April-August 2015-16

VIJAYAWADA: The demand for power in Andhra Pradesh has increased by eight per cent during April-August period of the current financial year, according to an official report.

The report, submitted by Department of Energy to the government at the two-day District Collectors conference here yesterday, said power demand between April and August has escalated to 21,371 million units against 19,839 million units during the same period a year ago.

The state maintained uninterrupted power supply to domestic, commercial and industrial sectors through regularly monitoring the load even as hydel power generation units were closed due to lack of water supply in reservoirs.

To encourage energy saving, government has distributed LED bulbs for all households in district of Anatapur, Guntur, West Godavari and Srikakulam, the report said, adding, the government has decided to extend the scheme in the remaining nine districts of AP.

Government has also replaced 1.70 lakh street bulbs with solar bulbs in some of the identified municipalities and Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation, it said.

To support the energy saving scheme, AP has received 6,000 solar agricultural pump-sets for the agricultural sector.

It said the state government envisages to add 5,000 MW solar power and 4,000 MW wind power in the coming four years, beside the two mega thermal power stations that will come up in the state shortly.

One thermal power station will be set up at Pudimadaka village in Visakhapatnam of 4,000 MW capacity by the NTPC, while another at Polaki village in Srikakulam district with a capacity of 2,400 MW will be set up by APGenco (AP Power Generation Corporation).

Central Government has allocated Rs 922 crore under the Deendayal Upadhya Gram Jyothi Yojana to provide power connection to houses without access to electricity supply, and thereby improve the transmission and distribution system.