HYDERABAD: Power demand has gone up exponentially in Telangana after the TRS government began providing 24×7 free power to the agriculture sector.
Over five lakh new agriculture connections have been added in the state since 2014.
Agriculture power demand has witnessed a steep 62% jump in the past few years, especially after the government began providing uninterrupted power supply to the agriculture sector.
As a result, irrigation facilities and free power helped the state occupy the top slot in paddy cultivation in the country.
According to official records, there were 19 lakh agriculture connections at the time of formation of Telangana in 2014.
In the past seven years, 5.86 lakh new connections —3.65 lakh in Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TSSPDCL) and 2.49 lakh in Telangana Northern Power Distribution Company Limited (TSNPDCL) — were added.
The twin power distribution companies now have over 12 lakh agriculture connections each in their jurisdiction.
In the undivided Andhra Pradesh, five to seven hour power supply was given to the agriculture sector, which was increased to nine hours uninterrupted power from 2016.
Later, the government had extended it to 24×7 power supply from January, 2018.
“The power utilities have been meeting the demand of the agriculture sector apart from domestic, commercial and industrial sectors that too without any load relief,” TSSPDCL chairman and managing director G Raghuma Reddy told TOI.
To meet the power requirement of the agriculture sector, discoms have strengthened their power infrastructure.
In TSSPDCL jurisdiction alone, Rs 11,301 crore was spent on infrastructure like constructing new 33/11 KV substations, erecting power transformers and distribution transformers.
TSNPDCL spent another Rs 4,746 crore in the past five years.
After the government started providing nine-hour power supply, there was a sudden demand for agriculture connections.
Southern discom released 70,000 new connections, while the Northern discom released 42,000, both records in the history of the power utilities.
With regard to power consumption in TSSPDCL limits, comprising erstwhile Rangareddy, Mahbubnagar, Nalgonda, Medak and Hyderabad (no agriculture connections in Hyderabad), it rose from 6,694 million units (MU) in 2013-14 to 10,818 MU in 2019-20, a growth of 62%.
In TSNPDCL limits, comprising erstwhile Karimnagar, Adilabad, Warangal, Nizamabad and Khammam districts, power consumption jumped from 4,261 MU in 2013-14 to 7,904 MU, registering a growth of 85.49%.
“Power consumption by the agriculture sector rose more in TSNPDCL as it covers rural districts except Warangal Urban.
Secondly, apart from agriculture connections, there are lift irrigation projects, including Kaleshwaram, which need more power to provide irrigation facilities to the agriculture sector,” a chief general manager of TSNPDCL said.
The area ünder cultivation has increased from 17.62 lakh acres in 2017-2018 to 35.27 lakh acres in 2020-2021, a growth rate of 100%, a senior government official said.