Reduce power cost to Rs 4.60 per unit by year end: Naidu to officials

Vijayawada: Chief minister Chandrababu Naidu on Monday directed officials to bring down the state's average power purchase cost to ₹4.60 per unit by year-end. He stressed that technology-driven reforms in the sector must ultimately serve public interest and asked for the establishment of a dedicated energy university to promote research.Naidu chaired a review meeting on the power sector at his camp office to take stock of the power supply situation in view of the increased temperatures across the state. Officials briefed him on power supply during the summer, the power procurement plan for 2026-27, and the implementation of PM Surya Ghar and PM Kusum schemes. Naidu called for continuous innovation to achieve low-cost power generation targets.Officials told Naidu that daily power demand during summer was estimated at 275-285 million units. Power consumption so far this month stood at 6,397 million units, registering a 14% rise compared to the corresponding period last year, driven by summer demand and increased industrial consumption. They also outlined the state's power procurement plans for the next six months, stating that the average power purchase cost was reduced from Rs 5.20 per unit in April 2025 to Rs 4.90 per unit by March 2026.Naidu directed officials to further reduce the cost by focusing on renewable energy, technology adoption and global best practices in the power sector. He said developments and innovations across countries must be studied and applied locally.The chief minister asked the officials to focus on research in the power sector and asked entities such as Transco and Genco to allocate CSR funds for this purpose. He said the state govt would consider budgetary support if required and directed officials to conduct detailed studies on pumped storage-based power generation.On solar initiatives, Naidu said 52,396 rooftop solar connections had been provided under the PM Surya Ghar scheme so far and asked officials to accelerate implementation by providing two lakh connections every month. Under the PM Kusum scheme, 2.94 lakh connections have been given, and he directed that Phase-I of the scheme be completed by December. Power minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar and senior officials from the power department, Transco, Genco and discoms attended the review meeting.GFX:Naidu's power pushTargets half of the state's power generation from renewable sources by 2028-29Aims to reduce power purchase cost by Rs 0.30 by the year-endEstablish an energy university and promote research and innovation in the power sectorSet up EV charging stations across the statePublic awareness campaigns to promote the use and purchase of electric vehicles