Vijayawada:Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has said consumers will benefit only when electricity is generated and distributed at low cost.He was speaking at a review meeting at the Secretariat on the implementation of the energy portfolio management system with the aim of providing quality power at low cost in the state.It was stated that Naidu’s hometown, Naravaripalle, has received the Skoch Award. Under the pilot scheme for the implementation of the PM Suryagarh scheme, Rangampet, Kandulavaripalli, Chinnaramapuram, Naravaripalli and Swarna Naravarapalli have been listed under the pilot scheme. Officials would receive the award at the Skoch summit in Delhi on Sept 20.Electricity officials informed the CM about the Skoch award. Chief secretary K Vijayanand briefed the CM about the awards the energy department received this year. Naidu suggested that the solar rooftop scheme be expedited across the state.The officials said the EPMS policy was working effectively for short-term power purchases. DISCOMs would be able to save significantly in power purchases. DISCOMs will save funds through intra-day and block-wise purchases, Vijayanand said.Responding to this, the CM advised making accurate estimates using AI-based demand forecasting and capacity planning tools.Naidu suggested examining the possibilities of making changes in power generation and distribution plans, based on different weather conditions. The power purchases of last year and the estimates of the needs of next year should be analysed so that market purchases could be managed effectively, he said.The officials said there existed a possibility of huge savings in the purchase cost of DISCOMS through EPMS. EPMS will provide solutions in key areas such as demand forecasting, unit commitment, price forecasting, market analysis, and bid management through advanced technology like artificial intelligence and machine learning.The CM asked officials to complete solar, wind and pumped storage projects quickly. The battery storage projects, he said, are key to solving the problem of surplus power storage. The cost of battery storage should be examined compared to market purchases.Officials said a surplus of `705 crore has been achieved through the revamped distribution sector scheme. The CM suggested exploring innovative ways through research, expertise and industry-academia linkages through the Centre of Excellence for Energy Transition set up in Visakhapatnam.He suggested examining the possibilities of drone-based distribution network monitoring and offshore wind projects. Power minister Gottipati Ravikumar and CS Vijayanand attended the review.
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