The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, today assured industrialists that the Sate will become ‘power full' within couple of years.

Delivering his address at FICCI National Executive meet, the Chief Minister said that the current power deficit is mainly due to some of the decisions taken by the Central Government in the past and not due to State's moves.

He said the demand supply gap was barely 900 MW. This often gets over blown. In spite of about 2,700 MW of installed capacity of gas-based plants, barely 1,400 MW is being generated due to lack of natural gas supplies.

If these plants performed to their peak level, the State would have been a power full State about two years ago itself.

“The State Government is conscious about the importance of having adequate power supply. Only when we send this message will companies come forward to set up their bases in the State.

“We are going all out to ensure that power generation matches the overall requirement,” he said.

Citing the CII Partnership Summit where memorandums of understanding were signed for projects worth over Rs 6.5 lakh crore, Mr Reddy said this would not have come through unless investors were sure about the power supply situation.

The Chief Minister said that the land related probe by the CBI is a passing phase and industries need not be worried about it.

The State Government is charting out a comprehensive policy for land acquisition and allotment for industrial purpose.

However, he faulted some industrialists who take a commitment from one State on incentives and later use this to getter better deal with another State. “We don't want such investors,” he said.

>vrishi@thehindu.co.in

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