BENGALURU: Recognising the crucial role of electricity in agriculture, Energy Minister K J George affirmed that the government is committed to providing five hours of uninterrupted power supply to farmers.
Minister George, after meeting with department officials, held a press conference at Belaku Bhavana on Monday to give details of the government’s efforts to ensure a minimum of five hours of uninterrupted power supply to farmers.
“We are committed to providing five hours of uninterrupted power supply to farmers during either daytime or nighttime on a rotation basis in three shifts. We will be notifying the shift timings to 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”, George said.
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”, he said
“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 2,000 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”, George assured. (ANI)