Energy sector revives, says Minister

Metro India News | AMARAVATI

Andhra Pradesh Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar on Wednesday presented a detailed report on the power sector’s performance over the past two years, claiming that the coalition government has revived a sector that was pushed into a financial and operational crisis during the previous YSRCP regime.

Addressing a press conference at the State Secretariat, the minister contrasted the power sector’s performance under the TDP-led governments of 2014-19 and 2024-26 with the period between 2019 and 2024. He credited Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s leadership and reforms for transforming Andhra Pradesh into a power-surplus state and positioning it as a national leader in renewable energy.

According to Ravi Kumar, Andhra Pradesh’s power generation capacity increased significantly during the 2014-19 period, while investments in solar and wind energy helped the state emerge as a pioneer in green energy. He noted that solar power capacity grew from just 66 MW in 2014 to over 3,000 MW by 2019, while wind power capacity expanded from 731 MW to more than 4,000 MW during the same period.

The minister alleged that the YSRCP government reversed many of these gains. He claimed that electricity tariffs were increased nine times between 2019 and 2024, imposing an additional burden of more than Rs 32,000 crore on consumers. He further alleged that poor planning, delayed power projects, cancellation of renewable energy agreements, and mounting debts caused losses exceeding Rs 1.29 lakh crore to the power sector.

Highlighting the coalition government’s achievements since 2024, Ravi Kumar said the administration has maintained stable electricity tariffs despite rising demand and has absorbed Rs 4,497 crore in true-up charges without passing the burden on consumers. The government is also providing uninterrupted nine-hour daytime power supply to farmers and 24-hour quality power to domestic and industrial consumers.

The minister revealed that Andhra Pradesh has set an ambitious target of generating 160 GW of green energy and has already approved projects worth 98 GW. Investments exceeding Rs 6 lakh crore have been attracted to the renewable energy sector in the past two years alone.

He also highlighted initiatives such as the Integrated Clean Energy Policy 2024, PM Surya Ghar rooftop solar scheme, PM Kusum solar pump programme, and the proposed Rs 22,000-crore Green Energy Corridor.

“Under Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s vision, Andhra Pradesh is once again emerging as the country’s clean energy capital,” Ravi Kumar said, adding that the government aims to create nearly 7.5 lakh jobs through green energy investments while ensuring affordable and reliable power for all sections of society.