Faced with severe shortage of power, the Andhra Pradesh Government is seeking financial assistance from the Union Government to improve distribution network. The Government has written to sanction Rs 3,000 crore for implementing Feeder Segmentation Project (FSP).
The State is enforcing power cuts – at least two hours in urban areas and five-six hours in rural areas. All the industries are facing a two-day power holiday for weeks, having a serious impact on productivity.
Though the Government had argued that the strike by employees of Singareni Collieries as part of the general strike in the Telangana region was the reason for short supply and power cuts, the power position has not improved even weeks after workers resumed work.
“We are reiterating that the power utilities are facing severe strain in bridging the supply-demand gap due to non-availability of resources like coal, oil, natural gas and hydel generation,” the Government said here in a statement, while discussing measures to improve the supply situation.
Keeping this situation in view, the Government has decided to implement FSP that seeks to establish parallel rural distribution network, connected by a host of 11 kV feeders. “This will encourage entrepreneurs setting up industries in rural areas. The project would cost Rs 3,014 crore,” Mr Dinesh Kumar, Principal Secretary (Energy Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh), said in his letter to the Secretary of the Union Ministry of Power.
Benefits
“Agricultural feeder segregation will ensure quality and continuous supply by Discoms (distribution companies),” he said.
Transco is proposing to set up about 9,000 mixed rural feeders in the four Discoms, covering the entire State.
While reducing distribution losses, the FSP would help better monitoring and accountability of energy input and supply hours to farmers. It would also ensure stable load patterns in rural areas.
“The Chief Minister has already written a letter to the Centre for additional allocation of natural gas and coal and to support Andhra Pradesh to tide over the situation,” APTransco (Transmission Corporation of Andhra Pradesh), said here in the statement.