Reservoirs Down 93%, Telangana Braces For Power Strain
The presentation explained that El Niño created a cascading effect on the power sector
HYDERABAD: Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Tuesday directed officials to maximise power generation at Genco’s thermal stations, citing the possible impact of El Nino conditions in view of falling hydel output and the need to safeguard uninterrupted electricity supply in the state.
Chairing a review meeting of the energy department, Bhatti said measures must be taken to meet Telangana’s power demand without causing inconvenience to the public. He also announced that he would conduct field-level inspections of Singareni coal mines to ensure the timely and uninterrupted supply of quality coal to thermal power plants.
During the review, the Deputy CM examined Genco’s installed capacity, long-term coal supply challenges and future action plans. He said the government had revived the pace of work at the Yadadri Thermal Power Station, which was launched by the previous government in 2016-17 but progressed slowly for years.
Bhatti alleged that the earlier regime failed to plan the project properly, despite approval for the supply of 14,000 tonnes of G9-grade coal annually from Singareni. He said the lack of environmental clearances and litigation before the National Green Tribunal created serious hurdles, while even a 2022 coal supply agreement with Singareni lacked clarity on quantity, quality and supply mechanisms.
He said the government had secured the required clearances after taking office in 2023 and accelerated construction, enabling the first 800 MW unit to begin generation in 2025. Three more 800 MW units were commissioned in 2025-26 and 2026-27, taking Genco’s total thermal capacity to 7,180 MW.
Despite coal supply constraints, Genco thermal plants generated 27,908 million units in 2025-26, meeting 31 per cent of the state’s electricity demand, up from 25.14 per cent in 2024-25. Bhatti said this showed the utility’s efficiency and expressed confidence that, with improved coal supply, thermal stations could meet up to 40 percent of the state’s needs.
He added that the fifth unit of YTPS is being readied for commissioning by September 2026. The meeting was attended by Special Chief Secretary Navin Mittal, GENCO CMD Dr. S. Harish, directors and senior officials.
