Power charges will not be hiked for next 5 years: Energy minister

VIJAYAWADA: Asserting that electricity charges will not be increased in the coming five years, Energy Minister K Kala Venkata Rao said the State government would take measures to reduce the bills, if possible.

Speaking to media persons at the Interim Government Complex in Velagapudi on Monday, the minister said the power reforms implemented by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu came in handy in supplying qualitative power and collecting 137 national and international awards.

Stating the government spent `8,000 crore every year towards free power supply to  the farmers, the minister said it would further increase the supply free of cost to 18 lakh agriculture motor connections from seven to nine hours per day. For this, the government will end up paying `7,000 crore to discoms per annum, he added.

Recalling that the State had suffered a deficit of 22 lakh million units by 2014, he said the present government, within four months of its formation, ensured that round-the-clock power was supplied to domestic consumers.

Power generation, which stood at 9,529 MW in 2014, has increased to 19,680 MW at present, Venkata Rao said.Also, an additional 10,151 MW was generated in the past four-and-a-half-years, he added.

This apart, the State is also ahead in power consumption as well as in reduction of transmission and distribution (T&D) losses, which is 9.71 per cent compared to the national average of 18 per cent.