Government buildings in A.P. to have solar power panels

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has announced a series of transformative measures for the State’s energy sector, including large-scale solar power generation on government buildings, the setting up of 5,000 electric vehicle charging stations, and the procurement of 1,000 electric buses for APSRTC.

Chairing a comprehensive review meeting on the Energy Department at the Secretariat on Tuesday, the Chief Minister also approved the extension of incentives for the Ferro Alloys industry for one more year, a decision expected to cost the government  ₹1,053 crore.

Mr. Naidu directed the officials to ensure high-quality, uninterrupted power supply as per the demand. The officials were also instructed to substantially reduce transmission losses from the current 9.2% by 2029.

He stressed the need for power-swapping agreements with other States to reduce purchase costs and urged rapid execution of PM-KUSUM and Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana solar rooftop projects.

Under PM-KUSUM, the State plans to generate 4,792 MW of power, while solar installations on more than 483 government buildings are expected to produce 150 MW.

Emphasising consumers’ participation, Mr. Naidu said people should become power producers, using what they need and selling surplus power back to the grid.

Sops and subsidy

He announced free solar rooftop panels for SC and ST beneficiaries and a subsidy of ₹20,000 for BC consumers up to 3 kW capacity.

The Chief Minister criticised the previous YSRCP government, alleging that the cancellation of Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) had forced the State to pay ₹9,000 crore to power companies without using electricity.

He asserted that the coalition government had brought operational efficiency and reduced this burden to zero without increasing the power tariffs.

The meeting was attended by Energy Minister G. Ravikumar, Chief Secretary K. Vijayanand, and senior officials from AP-Transco, AP-Genco and Discoms.