AP govt inks MoU for launching 'power for all' scheme

Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday announced launching of 'power for all' scheme from October 2 in collaboration with Union Power Ministry but the much-hyped round-the-clock electricity supply will become a reality across the state only by September 2016 as the programme will be rolled out in eight phases.

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday announced launching of 'power for all' scheme from October 2 in collaboration with Union Power Ministry but the much-hyped round-the-clock electricity supply will become a reality across the state only by September 2016 as the programme will be rolled out in eight phases.

The state government today entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Power ministry for rolling out the 'Power for All' (PFA) scheme that will be formally launched on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in the first phase in two municipal corporations, nine municipalities and 39 revenue mandals only and completed by December 2014.

"Ninety mandals, nine municipalities and two municipal corporations each will be covered in the remaining seven phases between January 2015 and September 2016," according to a document released by the state government at the MoU signing function.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Union Minister of State for Power, Piyush Goyal, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and others here this afternoon.

A whopping Rs 54,332 crore is estimated to be required towards capital expenditure to implement the PFA scheme, the government document said.

The state government and its power utilities have sought a financial assistance of Rs 15,718 crore over the next five years for the PFA scheme. AP will be the third state in the country after Delhi and Rajasthan to be chosen for the PFA scheme.

The state government also signed a MoU with NTPC for setting up a 4000 MW (5x800 MW) super critical ultra mega thermal power project in Visakhapatnam district at a cost of Rs 20,000 crore.

NTPC Chairman Arup Roy Chowdary and AP Energy Secretary Ajay Jain signed the MoU in the presence of Goyal and Naidu.

The state government allotted 1200 acres of land for the power project, expected to be commissioned by 2019-20. Of the total 4000 MW generated by NTPC, 85 per cent will be supplied to Andhra Pradesh only.

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