CM Naidu bats for self-reliant power usage

ANdhra Pradesh chief government minister N Chandrababu Naidu on th called for self-reliance in force usance within the agricultural sphere.Addressing a public meeting after laying the foundation for a 6.5 gigawatt renewable solar ingot-wafer manufacturing plant set up by ReNew Energy at a cost of ₹5,400 crore at Rambili village in Anakapalli village, Naidu urged farmers to install solar panels under the PM-KUSUM scheme. “In the coming years, the farmers should be able to have their own solar panels to generate power for their agriculture pump sets instead of depending on power supplied by electricity department,” he said.He also urged people to adopt rooftop solar installations under the PM Surya Ghar scheme. “We are targeting installation of solar power panels for 40 lakh households in the next one year,” he said.Naidu called for decentralized power usage to reduce transmission losses and announced plans to establish 5,000 EV charging stations across the state. “The Andhra Pradesh state road transport corporation is also set to introduce 1,050 electric buses as part of the green mobility push,” he said.The chief minister said Andhra Pradesh had set a target of generating 160 GW of green energy, with investments worth ₹5.95 lakh crore already mobilised. “Proposals and MoUs for 90 GW have been finalized, while NTPC Green Energy is planning investments worth ₹1.85 lakh crore,” he said.He added that solar and wind power generation is already underway in Anantapur and Kurnool districts, while Rambilli will emerge as a hub for solar panel manufacturing.Naidu asserted that his government would stand by its pre-election promise of not increasing power tariff. He claimed that his government had also reversed “true-up charges” imposed earlier and was absorbing a burden of ₹4,600 crore to prevent additional costs on consumers. “A decision has also been taken to bear ₹15,795 crore without passing on the burden to the public,” he said.The chief minister vowed to develop Anakapalli district as a major investment hub in the country with the establishment of large-scale industrial projects and green energy initiatives. “The district is already attracting unprecedented investments and could soon rank among the top regions in India in terms of industrial inflows,” he said.Naidu recalled that only a few weeks ago, he had laid foundation for ArcelorMittal Nippon India Steel plant was recently laid in the region, further strengthening Anakapalli’s industrial ecosystem.He further announced that on April 28, Google will establish a massive US$ 10 billion data centre in Visakhapatnam, including an advanced AI data centre.The chief minister also revealed that the Bhogapuram International Airport will be inaugurated in the first week of July, along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.