Bengaluru, Jul 3 (PTI) Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday directed officials to prepare a special emergency action plan in view of a possible decline in hydropower generation due to the impact of El Nino.
He instructed the department to focus urgently on power storage and generation from alternative sources.
During his first review meeting with the Energy Department, the CM sought details of the precautionary measures taken to address a potential drought situation and stressed that all necessary steps should be taken to ensure an uninterrupted power supply to the public, the CMO said in a statement.
To strengthen energy security, he directed officials to operationalise coal mines allocated to the state government and maintain adequate coal reserves continuously, it said.
Officials informed the CM that the state’s current power reserve position is better than last year and that Karnataka had successfully managed electricity supply without power cuts over the past three years.
Responding to this, the CM said that, under the current circumstances, the state should expedite the implementation of Battery Energy Storage Systems and Pumped Storage Projects to efficiently manage renewable energy.
“We are the IT capital, and we are working towards making our state the capital of Artificial Intelligence as well. Therefore, we must prepare now for the growing electricity demand driven by data centres, AI infrastructure, and the digital economy,” he said.
Energy Minister K J George informed the CM that the Gruha Jyothi scheme (200 units of free power to all households) has not created any additional financial burden.
However, he requested that the government either expedite payment of the Rs 12,631 crore owed by government departments to Electricity Supply Companies (ESCOMs) or resolve the issue through securitisation.
The CM noted that the government provides an annual agricultural power subsidy of Rs 22,000 crore for the benefit of farmers. He directed officials to accelerate feeder solarisation, the adoption of energy-efficient pump sets, and Demand Side Management programmes.
With peak electricity demand expected to reach 38 gigawatts (GW) by 2035, he advised the department to prepare plans to expand generation capacity along with a comprehensive financing roadmap.
He also directed officials to speed up implementation of the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme to secure central government assistance for modernising electricity meters and the distribution network.
Smart meters should be installed transparently and within the prescribed timelines, he said.
The CM instructed the department to strengthen the state’s power grid infrastructure to effectively handle the rapid growth in renewable energy capacity.
He asked officials to quickly resolve technical issues affecting power transmission projects and expedite solutions related to land acquisition, right-of-way, and statutory approvals to ensure timely project completion.
The CM directed officials to rapidly expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the state while upgrading the electricity grid to support the increased load. PTI KSU SSK
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