Refuting allegations against the state government’s decision to procure power from the Solar Energy Corporation of India, energy minister Balineni Srinivasa Reddy said there will be no burden on discoms due to the purchase from SECI.
He said the government will procure about 7,000 MW of solar power from SECI, starting 2024, in different tranches to meet the demand of 18 lakh farmers.
In a statement Friday, Balineni said the tariff proposed by SECI is considered to be the lowest and purchases will be transparent as it is a public sector undertaking. He said the tariff proposed by SECI has to be approved by the Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission as per the electricity Act.
The minister said solar power purchased from SECI would be utilised to provide nine hours of supply to the agriculture sector in the day through a special discom that will ensure free power to farmers for the next 25 years. “The quantum of procurement will be decided by APERC by as per the Electricity Act,” said Balineni.
“The price of Rs 2.49 /kWh is as per the tender-discovered price of SECI, which is a government of India PSU, and tariff will be determined as per Electricity Act by the Regulatory Commission,” said Balineni.
