CM wants AP to be green energy corridor

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed officials to craft a comprehensive plan to transform Andhra Pradesh into a ‘Green Energy Corridor,’ calling for short, medium and long-term strategies aligned with global energy trends.

During a review at his camp office on Wednesday, Naidu focused on power supply, projects, investments, and easing electricity tariff burdens. The meeting included energy minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar, chief secretary K Vijayanand and senior officials from APTransco and APGenco.

The Chief Minister stressed that green energy is the future, urging officials to reduce renewable energy production costs to benefit consumers. With electricity demand projected to rise by 8.9 per cent in the next two to three years, he called for proactive planning to meet this with sustainable sources.

He proposed using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to optimise green energy production costs and suggested exploring non-tariff revenue streams, such as leasing Transco’s fiber optic network, potentially generating Rs 7,000 crore.

Expressing concern over the state’s 9 per cent power distribution losses, Naidu advocated for improved feeder management and categorisation to curb losses. He also proposed modernising transmission lines and encouraging local consumption of locally generated power to minimise transmission losses. Reflecting on past energy audits that reduced power theft, he ordered a detailed study of current consumption patterns and a significant reduction in open-market power purchases.

Chief secretary Vijayanand noted the target of lowering the per-unit purchase cost to Rs 4.80. Naidu suggested deploying sensors and drones for weather prediction to optimise power generation, especially as consumption reached 270 million units in March-April and is expected to hit 12,700 mw between September 2025 and March 2026. He urged officials to boost generation capacity and explore power swapping to reduce procurement costs. Additionally, he called for identifying sites for solar and wind projects, highlighting Andhra Pradesh’s 65-gigawatt wind power potential and Rayalaseema’s suitability for pumped energy projects. Wind power, at Rs 4.6 per unit, is more cost-effective than thermal power’s Rs 5-6 per unit.

Since June 2024, renewable energy projects worth Rs 3.19 lakh crore have been initiated.Reviewing the PM-Surya Ghar solar rooftop project, Naidu set a target of 10,000 installations per constituency, with monthly progress reports for SC, ST, BC, and other communities.

He strongly opposed smart meters for agricultural connections and directed power utilities to offer services via WhatsApp Mana Mitra. The Chief Minister also sought Central government’s support for coal procurement for APGenco’s thermal units. To enhance safety and service, he advocated using AI and predictive maintenance technology to replace outdated power lines, prevent electrical accidents, and address low voltage and leakages.

Naidu emphasized ensuring an uninterrupted, high-quality power supply, aligning with Andhra Pradesh’s vision to lead in green energy innovation.

This article has been republished from The Hans India.