Amaravati, March 31: Energy Minister Gottipati Ravikumar stated that the coalition government is committed to strengthening the power sector in Andhra Pradesh. He emphasized that all necessary measures must be taken to ensure uninterrupted and quality power supply to all consumers across the state, in line with the vision of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. The Minister chaired a review meeting at the Secretariat on Tuesday with officials of AP Central Power Distribution Company Limited (APCPDCL), AP Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (APSPDCL), and the New & Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh Limited (NREDCAP). Key issues discussed included the implementation of RDSS, PM Surya Ghar, agricultural power connections, and low-voltage problems across the state. The Minister directed officials to expedite all ongoing works and ensure that pending agricultural electricity connections are released before the start of the upcoming season. He also stressed the need to resolve low-voltage issues in rural areas on priority. Highlighting the importance of renewable energy, he stated that increasing the use of solar power is essential to reduce energy burden and transmission losses. As part of this initiative, he proposed the development of one model solar village in each constituency. He also set a target to increase consumer satisfaction levels to 90%.
During a review with officials of APCPDCL and NREDCAP, the Minister instructed that PM Surya Ghar connections should be provided with consumer consent and that coordination among district officials must be strengthened to accelerate implementation. He directed officials to ensure there is no shortage of materials and set a target of providing at least 6,000 Surya Ghar connections per constituency by the end of summer, including free solar connections for SC and ST households. Additionally, he set a goal to complete 6 lakh PM Surya Ghar connections across the state within the next four months.
The Minister emphasized the need to create awareness among the public to promote the use of solar panels and improve Plant Load Factor (PLF). He instructed officials to complete RDSS works at the earliest and accelerate PM Kusum projects, coordinating with district collectors for land allocation. He further directed that 11,000 pending agricultural power connections under APCPDCL be cleared immediately. Strict measures were ordered to curb transformer thefts in rural areas, including action against buyers and registration of cases with police support. Officials informed the Minister that new transformers have already been installed in 980 locations to address low-voltage issues.
In a separate review meeting with APSPDCL officials, the Minister instructed that RDSS works be completed within three months, as per the Chief Minister’s directions. He reviewed the progress of PM Surya Ghar, RDSS, agricultural connections, and low-voltage issues, and directed officials to resolve all bottlenecks without delay. The Minister stressed maintaining high-quality standards in solar projects being implemented in the state. He observed that central government schemes like PM Surya Ghar and PM Kusum are highly beneficial and should be fully utilized to reduce transmission losses. He also instructed that delays in agricultural power connections be eliminated and emphasized that resolving low-voltage issues in rural areas would significantly improve consumer satisfaction. Further, he directed that smart meters should be installed only with consumer consent. Senior officials, including APCPDCL CMD Pullareddy, APSPDCL CMD Sivasankar, directors, NREDCAP officials, and other energy department officers, participated in the review meetings.
