Amaravati, February 10 Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary K Vijayanand directed power utilities on Tuesday to ensure uninterrupted, reliable, and quality power supply 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the upcoming summer.
He instructed officials to begin power generation from the 960 MW Polavaram Hydroelectric Power Project by July 2027.
During a review meeting on the power supply situation, the Chief Secretary said that the Polavaram Hydroelectric Project is progressing rapidly with significant advancements in both civil and electro-mechanical works, and emphasized the need for timely completion of all related infrastructure.
"State power utilities must ensure uninterrupted, reliable, and quality 24-hour electricity during the upcoming summer months," he said in an official press release.
The first seven out of the 12 units of the Polavaram project are expected to be commissioned by July 2027, while the entire project is scheduled for completion by December 2028.
According to the Chief Secretary, major equipment, including gas-insulated and air-insulated substations, have reached the site, while the erection of major machinery is progressing expeditiously.
The Chief Secretary observed that the Polavaram Hydel Power Station, equipped with 12 Kaplan turbine units of 80 MW each, will generate 960 MW of clean hydropower, contributing around 23 million units per day to the state grid.
He said this will yield an estimated annual benefit of about Rs 1,250 crore.
Appreciating the efforts of power utilities in maintaining a reliable supply despite rising demand during the Rabi and early summer seasons, Vijayanand noted that on February 9, the total energy demand stood at over 236 MU.
Reviewing month-wise trends, he said that the state recorded about 6,860 MU supply in January with daily demand ranging between 206 and 235 MU, reflecting an increase of up to eight percent over last year due to higher agricultural and industrial load.
He projected that demand may rise by another 12 percent in the coming months and reach nearly 260 MU per day by March, with a peak load of around 14,000 MW during March-April.
Directing utilities to ensure adequate availability through meticulous scheduling and renewable integration, he asked APGENCO to continue renovating and modernizing thermal units, rationalize coal linkages, and improve plant load factors.
Andhra Pradesh Transmission Corporation Limited (APTRANSCO) was instructed to ensure grid stability and complete critical transmission projects on time, while DISCOMs were advised to strengthen preparedness for the Rabi season and improve consumer services, the press release added.