Telangana is in a position to tackle current demand of 15,000 MW. The free power to agriculture sector is available to 23 lakh agriculture pump sets, says Guntakandla Jagadish Reddy, Minister for Energy, Government of Telangana, in conversation with Sudheer Goutham of Elets News Network (ENN).
What is Telangana Government’s Draft Policy on Wind Energy?
Similar to the lines of Telangana State Solar Power Policy, the Government of Telangana State has put in place Draft Wind Power Policy. The draft wind power policy is progressive with and ease of doing business provisions and incentives for tapping the wind power potential in the State. The policy also lays emphasis on competitive bidding in wind power procurement. This is in-line with the recently notified competitive bidding guidelines of MNRE.
Is Telangana State ready with the infrastructure to facililitate 24X7 power supply?
In accordance with the vision of Telangana to provide uninterrupted power to all consumers over the coming years, the State in coordination with Telangana State (TS) utilities have embarked on a massive capacity expansion plan for the next three years, which includes 6,840 MWs by TS Genco, 4,000 MWs by National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and 2,000 MWs by Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL).
Out of the above capacity additions planned, a total of 930 MW has been commissioned by TS Genco and 1,200 MW from SCCL. By virtue of advance planning and meticulous execution of activities, TS utilities were able to meet the highest peak demand of 9,500 MW recorded on 13th September, 2017. To maintain uninterrupted power supply to the twin cities, 400 KV ring main system has been established around Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) area by erecting 142 km of 400 KV lines interlinking the substations and building six of 220 KV substations around the city
A robust network is critical for delivering reliable power as well in providing access to energy to larger section of the society. Post formation of the State, in order to improve the reliability of power supply, the TS Transco and Discoms have taken several measures to develop the infrastructure in the State. An estimated amount of Rs 12,136 crore has been invested towards the development of infrastructure since the formation of the State till November 17 last year.
I am happy to note that because of the above stated measures undertaken by the Government of Telangana State and the concerned organisations, we have been successful in supplying 24 x 7 supply to all agricultural consumers from the beginning of this year.
What is the demand-supply scenario of power in Telangana?
The State of Telangana is witnessing robust growth in energy demand which can be attributed to industrial growth as well governmental initiatives such as 24 x 7 supply to agricultural consumers and lift irrigation schemes. Due to the progressive policies and initatives taken by the State, it is expected that the projected energy demand of 64,291 MU in FY 2018-19 would be comfortably met through the existing contracts which are in place.
“Post formation of the state, in order to improve the reliability of power supply, the Telangana Discoms have taken several measures to develop the infrastructure.”
What steps have been taken in the renewable energy sector to meet the peak demand for FY 2018- 2019?
The Government of Telangana State has been a front-runner when it comes to additions of renewable energy capacities. The installed capacity of solar power in the State is in excess of 3,200 MW. The distributed generation model of solar capacity additions in the State has been an innovative one which aims at bringing solar generation closer to demand centres resulting in minimising transmission losses as well as upstream network investments.
The assessed per capita consumption in the State of Telangana is about 1,505 units for the FY 2016-17. By virtue of advance planning and meticulous execution of activities, TS utilities were able to meet the highest peak demand of 9,500 MW recorded on 13th September, 2017. In energy terms, TS Utilities were able to supply 198 MU on the same day. I am happy to state that the TS utilities are fully geared up to meet the maximum demand of 11,000 MW during the coming Rabi season.
Can you please brief us on the action plan for TSGENCO?
TSGenco has played a key role in expediting works in order to achieve commissioning in a timely manner. In short time 600 MW of KTPP Stage II was commissioned in April 16. Hydel capacities of 360 MW – lower Jurala and Pulichintala was commissioned last year. Further, TS Genco has set the following timelines for commissioning –
KTPS Stage VII – 800 MW – By June 18
BTPS (Manuguru) – 1,080 MW By May 19 in a phased mannerDamercherla– 4,000 MW By April 2021 in a phased manner
Can you please brief us on the Government of India’s interventions in Telangana Power Sector?
The Government of Telangana, TS Discoms are joint signatories along with the Government of India’s in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on UDAY scheme. This is a tripartite agreement which clearly outlines the responsibilities of each of the signatory.
In line with the UDAY MoU, the Government of India is expected to provide the additional funding support under IPDS, DDUGJY schemes and also in an allocation of additional domestic coal and to TS Genco stations. Support is also expected on faster completion of inter-state transmission lines.
“The State of Telangana receives 1,000 MW of power from Marwa plant in Chattisgarh. Inter-state transmission
line plays a key role in the transfer of power between the States.”
What is Telangana’s current Transmission network?
TS Transco is amongst the best performing transmission utilities across the country. The cumulative transmission losses for FY 2017-18 till Dec is 3.31 per cent and transmission system availability is 99.9 per cent. Since inception, to meet the agriculture and other demand in the state, 8896.5 MVA of transmission capacity has been augmented at the EHT level. The transmission capacity stands at 22,956 MVA.
What is the present status of Interstate Transmission System in Telangana?
The State of Telangana receives 1,000 MW of power from Marwa plant in Chattisgarh. Inter-state transmission line plays a key role in transfer of power between the States. With the charging of 765 KV double circuit line from Wardha to Maheshwaram the new state of Telangana is able to draw power from NEW grid
Please brief us on Telangana power distribution plan?
Post formation of the State, in order to improve the reliability of power supply, the Telangana Discoms have taken several measures to develop the infrastructure. TSSPDCL has spent an amount of Rs. 4,471 crores and TSNPDCL has spent an amount of Rs. 1,876 crores for the development of infrastructure post formation of the state. All SS and lines are maintained as per schedule. 4 per cent of rolling stock of DTRs is available in all the 188 SPM sheds. Unlike in the past, where delays were encountered in replacement of burnt DTRs, transformers are currently replaced within 6 hours in urban areas and 24 hours in rural areas. DTR failure rate is below 10 per cent.
What are the Smart Grid initiatives of TSSDPCL?
TSSPDCL, in its endeavour to be the best utility in the country, has been taking a number of initiatives to ensure optimum utilisation of its resources and to seize power loss and theft in the state of Telangana and in offering high levels of reliability. Some of the key initiatives are detailed below:
- Automatic Meter Reading Modems (AMR): AMRs enabled with GPRS are affixed to Feeder Meters at substations, to capture data from the meters of HT and LT high-value consumers. This is expected to lead to better governance.
- Online Prepaid Smart Meters: Online Smart Prepaid Metering architecture is being implemented under TSSPDCL to overcome the problems with the existing process, gain valuable information on consumption patterns which can be used for better grid management and providing differentiated services to consumers.
- SCADA/DMS Project: After formation of the Telangana state, TSSPDCL launched SCADA/DMS project in Hyderabad Agglomeration area with the cost of Rs.158 crore which enabled upgradation of the existed distribution system with Real-time supervision and control of 33/11kv substations and 11Kv network. The project envisages automatic control of 228 Nos. of 33/11Kv Sub- Stations and 156 Nos. 11Kv feeders in core city of Hyderabad and in turn the entire power flow in the substations and feeders are remotely viewed and controlled.
- Smart grid pilot project in implementation in one of the industrial areas.
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