Andhra Pradesh Government chalks out a five-point Energy Programme for rabi season

The Andhra Pradesh Government has charted out a five-point programme for better energy management and to meet the demand surge of about 300 million units a day during the rabi crop season.

Energy requirement is expected to cross 300 million units against 280 million units met during the rabi crop season. During rabi, the demand from pump sets boosts energy demand significantly to support the standing crop.

To meet this projected demand, the State Government has directed power utilities to strictly follow the 5-point programme to ensure adequate supply to all categories of consumers and ensure seven hours power supply to the agricultural sector.

The focus would be to maintain adequate coal stocks at thermal power stations, purchase additional power to meet the demand, conduct substation level meetings and to maintain sufficient rolling stock of Distribution Transformers (DTRs). The Government has also directed the officials to visit rural areas to get first hand information on various aspects of power supply to the consumers.

Reviewing the power supply position with AP power utilities in Secretariat , Mr Dinesh Kumar, State Principal Secretary, Energy, emphasised the need to invariably maintain 4 per cent rolling stock of transformers to ensure timely replacement.

The Distribution companies (DISCOMs) have been directed to blacklist the suppliers who fail to fulfil the terms of the contractual agreement in repairing and replacing transformers in time.