Government is committed to providing 5 hours of uninterrupted power supply to farmers - KJ George, Energy Minister
Promotion and implementation of solar energy among farmers through KUSUM SCHEME
BENGALURU:
Recognizing the crucial role of electricity in agriculture, Energy Minister K.J. George affirmed that the Government is committed to providing 5 hours of uninterrupted power supply to farmers.
Minister K.J. George after meeting with Department officials held a press conference today at Belaku Bhavana to detail the government’s efforts to ensure a minimum of 5 hours of uninterrupted power supply to farmers. Mr. Gaurav Gupta , Additional Chief Secretary, Energy, and Mr. Pankaj Kumar Pandey, MD, KPTCL were present.
“We are committed to providing 5 hours of uninterrupted power supply to farmers during either daytime or nighttime on a rotation basis in three shifts. We will be notifying on the shift timings to the farmers through publications, radio, and TV. Presently, our state faces a shortage of 1,500 MW. However, we are leaving no stone unturned to generate more power in the coming months to meet the ever-increasing demand,” said Minister K.J. George.
Earlier the Minister held a review meeting with the Managing Directors of Electricity Supply Companies (ESCOMs) and urged them to implement efficient measures to ensure uninterrupted power supply to farmers. To ensure seamless implementation of the same, Nodal Officers have been appointed district-wise among Chief Engineers, overseeing the provision of an uninterrupted 5-hour power supply, following the directives of the Chief Minister.
Action will be taken to purchase short-term electricity deficit, taking the approval of the KERC. The minister explained that Section 11 of the Electricity Act has been invoked under national disaster management to procure electricity from power generators in the State and the power shortage would be overcome.
“The demand for power has increased significantly due to a severe drought situation in Karnataka. But the government is trying to meet the increasing demand by purchasing power from both inside and outside the State. An order has been issued asking those generating power in the State to supply it to the government.”
” The deficit is attributed to natural calamities, including drought, a shortfall in wind energy, and cloud cover. Nevertheless, we have effectively managed this situation by procuring power from the grid. We have taken significant steps, by identifying 400 substations, out of which 230 are in progress. We are on track to procure power from KUDAGI by December 1st, and we have also established a barter system with Punjab and UP,” he added.
From April 23 to October 15, 2023, 1627 M.U. of Electricity amounting to 1102 crores has been purchased and similarly, during the same period, a total of 636 mU of electricity has been sold through IEX.
“It is essential to debunk the misconception that Karnataka is in darkness. Soon, we are planning to expand the Pavagada Solar Park from its current capacity of 2,300 MW to adding another 2000 MW in 10,000 acres. We are also actively working on expanding solar power generation in Gadag and Gulbarga. These initiatives are a testament to our deliberate actions in this direction,” assured Minister K.J. George.
Promotion and implementation of solar energy
We are striving to implement KUSUM B & KUSUM C initiatives aimed at promoting the use of solar energy among farmers.
KUSUM B is primarily geared towards incentivizing the adoption of stand alone solar pumpsets by individual farmer availing 80% of subsidy. These power plants can be established on agricultural land or barren land, providing an additional source of income for farmers through land leasing. Also laying emphasis on KUSUM – C that involves the installation of solar power plants at substations, these power plants can be established on Govt land, agricultural land or barren land, providing an additional source of income for farmers through land leasing to ensure a continuous and sustainable power supply to agricultural consumers.
Power shortage not only in Karnataka but in the country
“During the recent visit, the Union Energy Minister himself said that the demand for electricity has increased not only in the state but also in the entire country. High demand has been recorded in the month of August itself as against during summer. The demand for electricity has increased due to the failure of the monsoon. Due to natural calamities, the production of wind and solar energy has also slowed down. Due to this, there has been a deficit of electricity for a few days.
The energy minister said that blaming the opposition is not my forte. However, due to natural calamities, there is now a power shortage. It is wrong to use this for political gain and say that Karnataka is in darkness. He encouraged the opposition to have a constructive dialogue with him to address these challenges to move forward towards a brighter energy future for the state.
(Disclaimer: The above release comes to you under an arrangement with Karnataka’s Energy Minister KJ Geroge’s office and thebengalurulive.com does not take any responsibility for any kind of errors)
About the Author
