Telangana NPDCL launches free power experiment

Khammam, Nov 8: The Northern Power Distribution Company of Telangana Limited (NPDCL) has launched a major initiative to provide 24-hour free power supply to over 1.31 lakh agriculture connections for five days on an experimental basis in Khammam circle.

The move is intended to demonstrate the technical and operational efficacy of the upgraded power transmission and distribution network for supplying uninterrupted power to the agriculture sector on a regular basis early next year, sources said.

The NPDCL has initiated the ambitious plan, albeit on a trial basis, on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday as per the schedule stipulated by the State government.

The 24-hour power supply to the agriculture pump sets has started through 357 feeders in Khammam and Bhadradri-Kothagudem districts besides parts of Mahabubabad district, which together form the NPDCL's Khammam circle. The power transmission and distribution network in Khammam circle has undergone a major upgradation since the formation of Telangana in 2014.

Around 40 new sub-stations had been constructed in Khammam circle in the past three years. Around 135-km length of 33 kV interlinking line had been laid and 3.5 MVA transformers had been replaced with 5 MVA transformers.