Vijayawada: Minister for energy, forest and environment Balineni Srinivasa Reddy said in a statement on Sunday that the state government purchased power at an average price of Rs 3.26 per unit in October that was Rs 6.21 in the corresponding period last year.
This was possible owing to the state government’s continuous efforts to procure power at cost effective rates. Borrowing from the BJP slogan, which went viral ahead of the elections this year, Srinivasa Reddy said the state government is acting as the chowkidar or watchman of the power sector and fighting to protect public interest.
Refuting allegations of purchasing power from energy exchanges at a higher cost, the minister said they have been procuring power at a cost lower than the price, which the TDP was paying last October. He added that the purchase of power at a steeper price has pushed the entire power sector into a crisis. “The AP power sector has never seen this kind of deep financial crisis in the last 50 years. Reviving the power sector remains our top priority” he said.
Srinivasa Reddy added that the high court orders on making payments to renewable energy producers at Rs 2.43 per unit as against Rs 4.84 gave the government moral strength to fight. The court orders strengthened the government’s aim to provide cost effective, quality and uninterrupted power to every home and industry in the state.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes
