VIJAYAWADA
Andhra Pradesh Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar has emphasised that the financial burden on DISCOMs has been significantly reduced by promoting green energy in Andhra Pradesh and that the adoption of large-scale green energy initiatives has brought down the power purchase costs.
Participating virtually in a meeting organised by the Union Ministry of Power in Mumbai on strategies for strengthening the DISCOMs in various States, on Friday, Mr. Ravi Kumar said the DISCOMs in Andhra Pradesh were becoming financially stable under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
He asserted that the State would effectively leverage the Central government-sponsored schemes such as PM Surya Ghar and PM Kusum to ease the financial burden on DISCOMs.
He urged the Central government to increase the State’s battery storage capacity from 1,000 MW to 2,000 MW. He appealed for an enhancement in the grant provided for the green energy corridor and an increase in the number of sanctioned pump sets from one lakh to 4.50 lakh.
Mr. Ravi Kumar alleged that under the leadership of Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, the DISCOMs were saddled with a debt of ₹50,000 and subsidies due to the failure in timely payment, which led to a severe financial crunch. However, the NDA government took decisive steps for reviving DISCOMs by clearing outstanding dues of ₹11,352 crore, he said.
The meeting was attended by Union Minister of State for Power Shripad Yesso Naik, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Energy Ministers from five States including Andhra Pradesh.
The discussions focussed on reviving the debt-ridden DISCOMs, minimising additional losses, and improving debt recovery mechanism.
Published – February 28, 2025 06:26 pm IST