Pushed to the wall by the unending shortage of electricity and rising demand, power utilities have told Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy that they can provide seven hours of supply to farmers only if they can impose longer cuts on the domestic, industrial and commercial sectors.
According to this perception prepared by the APTransco, homes may face up to 10 hours of power cuts daily during the Rabi season.
According to the presentation made to the CM on Tuesday, the discoms said the finance department will have to arrange for an additional Rs1,200-crore if power is to be supplied for the Rabi crop.
“In the present deficit scenario, supply of power for the Rabi crop looks very tough. If the Rabi crop is to be supplied power, the only option available is to curtail further supply to industries, commercial and domestic sectors,” stated the presentation.
If the government fails to make the required budgetary arrangements for additional generation of 400 MW to 500 MW of energy for 100 days of the Rabi season, at a cost of Rs12 crore per day, the agricultural sector will receive only four hours of power and that too in two spells, APTransco said in its presentation.
The ailing industrial sector will face 50 per cent power cuts even after the additional generation of 400-500 MW.
As per the document, additional generation of only 400 MW (10 MU per day) is possible with reliquefied natural gas (RLNG) or naphtha, at a variable cost of Rs10 to Rs15 per unit.
APTransco will require an additional 30 MU over and above the additional generation of 400 MW to meet the projected power demand in the Rabi season. “To buy the remaining power requirement of around 30 MU both in the spot market and short term market where the price is unpredictable is an uncertain task. We may not succeed,” read the document.