Karnataka Govt Pledges Seven Hours of Electricity Supply for Agriculture: Minister George

Karnataka Energy Minister assures state will not experience power shortage despite rise in demand

At a recent meeting with government officials and representatives, Karnataka Energy Minister K J George reassured that the state has no power shortage. He also reassured the public that the government is offering a consistent and assured supply of electricity according to its policy and presented measures being undertaken to cope with the increased energy demand in summer.

The minister emphasized that the power demand of the state stands at 18,500 megawatts, which rose by 10% with the onset of summer. To cater to this increasing demand, the government has arranged for importing power from the neighboring states such as Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. These power trading deals have stipulated that the state is left with a consistent power supply irrespective of the increased demand. George has said that the power being fetched from all these states to Karnataka will be gathered back when the demand falls in June.

He also clarified that there is no load shedding in the state, and the regular power cuts in certain areas are because of technical maintenance. The government is taking all possible steps to settle these interruptions at the earliest.

Among the more important work which the state government is presently engaged in are the inauguration of power substations at strategic points. These substations are being inaugurated with the very specific purpose of providing voltage stability levels as well as ensuring better power management. The state government is even going to speed up infrastructure increases wherever possible in order to make sure that power is supplied to all sections of the state.

One of the biggest running projects is the KUSUM-C scheme, with a plan to produce 3,000 megawatts of electricity through solarisation of feeder lines. The project that is expected to be finished in the next one and a half years has already been initiated with installation of solar panels and other groundwork ordered.

Besides, George indicated he would be generating 300 megawatts of electricity and connect it to the power grid by April. This will serve to curtail the increasing energy need of the state and provide a consistent amount of power to homes, industry, and agriculture.

The minister of energy also clarified that no one of the state's Electricity Supply Companies (ESCOMs) is heading into any sort of financial loss, denying the allegations that certain ESCOMs are heading into financial losses. He explained that the government anticipates huge pending payments, like from local councils and other government departments like Panchayat Raj and Rural Development, which would place the ESCOMs' finances in balance.

For resolving power failures, the minister assured that the state government has given stern instructions for providing an even power supply. The government's energy policy is founded on the guarantee of uninterrupted power supply, and every effort is relentless to overcome technical hitches in the process to make this vision a reality.

Conclusion:As the power requirement of the state goes up, the state government continues to stress energy efficiency and sustainability. KUSUM-C scheme and all other schemes of renewable energy are all components of the long-term government policy to diversify energy sources and lower dependence on traditional power generation. As a whole, the infrastructure of power in the state is being consolidated to meet the present boom in demand and future needs. The ongoing projects, such as feeder solarisation under the KUSUM-C scheme and proposals for power generation, are set to pave the way for a sustainable and reliable supply of power to Karnataka.

Source: Karnataka Energy Minister's Office Press Release