VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh government will procure total 7,000 mw of solar power in different lots from Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) from 2024 onwards to benefit 18 lakh farmers of the state.
“This will help provide nine hours free power during daytime for next 25 years through a special Discom,” energy minister for energy Balineni Srinivasa Reddy said in a statement issued here on Friday.
He maintained that the quantum of procurement will be decided by AP Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) as per norms of Electricity Act. The commission will fix power tariff as per Electricity Act.
The minister ruled out any additional burden on existing Discoms for purchasing power. This is because AP government will bear the entire cost of procurement from SECI. He maintained that cost of power procurement from a project outside AP will be cheaper, as centre exempts central grid charges for power from outside the state.
Srinivasa Reddy said the land earmarked for setting up a 10,000 mw power project by AP government can be used for some other purpose.
He said curtailment matters will be subject to real-time operations by the grid operator, depending on demand-general gap at that point of time. This will ensure grid reliability in 24x7 uninterrupted power supply.
The minister said no new thermal power plants had been started by the previous Telugu Desam regime. This led to cost of power at Krishnapatnam plant going up to ₹ 9.3 per mw from ₹ 5.5 per mw.
