Andhra Pradesh is spending ₹3,600 crore, obtained from the World Bank as a loan, on modernisation of the power sector, according to Power Minister K Kala Venkata Rao.

He was talking to the media after reviewing the performance of the AP Eastern Power Distribution Company Ltd (APEPDCL) on Thursday. He said a sum of ₹1,042 crore had been allocated for works under the purview of the APEPDCL, covering Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam and the two Godavari districts.

The minister said APEPDCL, with only 4.9 per cent transmission and distribution losses, stood first in the country and efforts were under way to further reduce the losses. Venkata Rao said the state government had taken up a project to replace 15 lakh inefficient farm pump sets in the state with more efficient ones and also to give solar power pump sets to farmers at a nominal cost. Each solar pump set costs ₹4.5 lakh. “Farmers have to be educated about the solar pump sets and the programme has to be pursued with greater vigour,” he said.

He said the state government was also supplying to consumers LED bulbs, LED tubelights and energy-efficient fans at subsidised prices. He said the state government was taking up the second phase of power sector reforms and “for the past three years, we have been supplying power 24 hours a day throughout the year, barring minor disruptions. There is no problem for domestic consumers, the industry or agriculture.”

The minister said the state government was also thinking of introducing energy storage batteries which will enable uninterrupted power supply to an entire area, even in the event of power failure. “These batteries work like UPS systems in houses but on a much large scale,” he added.

MM Nayak, Chairman and Managing Director of the APEPDCL, and other senior officials participated.

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