Take Measures to Prevent Power Shortages Even Amid El Niño Effects - Bhatti Vikramarka

Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka has directed electricity officials to take strong measures to prevent power shortages in the state amid the possibility of rising electricity demand due to El Niño. He instructed officials to make advance preparations to ensure uninterrupted power supply even if a severe El Niño, described as a “Super El Niño,” occurs. To meet agricultural and domestic electricity requirements effectively, he set a target of generating 140 million units of thermal power daily at Telangana GENCO plants. During a review meeting with senior energy department officials at the State Secretariat on Thursday, discussions focused on electricity generation, supply and outstanding dues. GENCO CMD S. Harish said the average daily thermal power generation had reached 91 million units, while 118 million units were generated on a single day on the 16th of the month. Bhatti directed officials to increase daily generation to 140 million units.

Officials informed the Deputy Chief Minister that steps were being taken to ensure an uninterrupted coal supply from Coal India to two units at the Yadadri Thermal Power Plant, with supplies expected to begin next month. All four 800 MW units at the plant are already generating electricity, and the fifth unit was connected to the grid on the 20th of the month. Officials said the remaining technical and maintenance issues would be resolved soon to enable the unit to begin full commercial operations. Bhatti also directed officials to introduce a One-Time Settlement (OTS) scheme to recover outstanding electricity dues from closed industries. He called for comprehensive proposals that would make payments easier for eligible industries while helping distribution companies recover long-pending dues. He also instructed senior Finance Department officials to take steps to collect amounts owed to Singareni, GENCO and TRANSCO by various departments. Energy Department Special Chief Secretary Naveen Mittal, Finance Department Principal Secretary Sandeep Kumar Sultania, Singareni CMD Jyoti Buddha Prakash, GENCO CMD Harish, TRANSCO CMD Krishna Bhaskar, farmer DISCOM CMD Jitesh V. Patil and Singareni Director Gautham Potru, among others, attended the meeting.