AP seeks Centre’s support for Green Energy Corridor

To ensure a continuous power supply from Rayalaseema to North Andhra, Andhra Pradesh Minister for Energy Gottipati Ravi Kumar has urged the central government to support the establishment of a Green Energy Corridor. The Minister made this request during a meeting with Union Minister of State for Renewable Energy, Piyush Goyal, held in Lucknow on Saturday. The meeting, attended by energy ministers from various states, focused on strengthening the financial stability of state-owned DISCOMs across the country.
During the meeting, Minister Gottipati outlined the financial burden faced by the Andhra Pradesh power sector. He highlighted that the state’s electricity distribution companies (DISCOMs) had accumulated a debt of Rs 50,000 crore during the tenure of the YSR Congress Party government due to delayed subsidies and non-payment of dues. He also noted that after the new government came to power, Rs 11,352 crore had been paid to the DISCOMs to revive them. He pointed out that the state had allocated more than Rs 13,000 crore for the power sector in this year’s budget to address ongoing challenges.
Minister Gottipati stressed that the Green Energy Corridor planned to transport renewable energy from the upcoming renewable energy units in Rayalaseema to North Andhra, required financial assistance from the central government. He also requested financial support for battery storage projects. Additionally, he urged the central government to reduce inter-state transmission (ISTN) charges, which would strengthen the state’s transmission corporation, TRANSCO, and help revitalise the state’s energy sector.
The Minister also sought faster approvals for renewable energy projects, including solar and CBG plants, and requested the central government to allocate five lakh agricultural pump sets to Andhra Pradesh under the PM KUSUM scheme to ease the burden on farmers.