State has 22.30 lakh free farm power connections, says Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar

Andhra Pradesh has 22,30,703 free agricultural power connections benefiting farmers across all districts, says Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar.

Replying to a question by Anakapalli MLA Konathala Ramakrishna in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday, Mr. Ravi Kumar said as many as 1,02,538 new free agricultural power connections had been sanctioned across the three Discoms since the formation of the NDA government in 2024. The 46,000 pending agricultural connections would be cleared before the upcoming agricultural season, he said.

During the 2025–26 financial year, the Discoms had spent ₹839.44 crore towards providing free power supply to the farmers. Under the PM-KUSUM scheme, 2,61,481 agricultural connections had been sanctioned in the State so far, he added.

Highlighting the focus on renewable energy, Mr. Ravi Kumar said feeder-level solar projects were expected to save the State ₹1,059 crore in power purchase costs. “Solar power plants are being set up near 11 KV lines, ensuring a uniform tariff for 25 years,” he said.

“Land acquisition is underway for feeder-level solar projects, and tenders have been floated for 1,035 MW capacity. Construction of these solar plants is scheduled to begin from May,” he said.

The government had set a target of generating 4,000 MW of solar power between 2028 and 2030. Once feeder-level solar plants become fully operational, farmers would be supplied nine hours of quality power during daytime, the Minister said.

He added that the Energy Department’s objective was to ensure uninterrupted and quality power supply not only to farmers but also to domestic, industrial, and commercial consumers.

Vacant posts

Responding to a question by Kothapeta MLA Bandaru Satyananda Rao on shortage of linemen in the APEPDCL, the Minister said several posts remained vacant in the utility’s jurisdiction. Vacancies included 581 Energy Assistants, 1,260 Junior Linemen, 1,084 Assistant Linemen, and 22 Lineman posts.

“The government is taking steps to fill these vacancies at the earliest to improve consumer services. Currently, 8,770 personnel are working under outsourcing arrangement to ensure uninterrupted services,” he said. The Minister also stated that new substations were being sanctioned based on load requirements to strengthen the power distribution network across the State.