Category: Electricity and Power Generation

Andhra Pradesh energy special chief secretary K Vijayanand on Thursday said the state’s thermal power stations generated a record 19,268 million units (MU) of electricity during the first half (April-September) of the current financial year, up 13.1 per cent from FY26.

The official said 17,037 MU of power was generated during the same period last year, which is 2,231 MU lower than the current fiscal year, an official release said.

“The state-owned thermal power stations of Andhra Pradesh generated a record 19,268 million units (MU) of electricity during the first half (April-September) of the financial year 2026-27. This is 13.1 per cent higher than the 17,037 MU generated during the same period last year,” said Vijayanand in the release.

Assuring consumers of uninterrupted power supply in the coming months, he said the government has put in place a robust fuel security system and a comprehensive advance power purchase plan in view of the revised El Niño advisories of the State Load Despatch Centre (SLDC).

El Niño conditions typically bring weaker rainfall and higher temperatures, which can push up electricity demand.

According to Vijayanand, average availability of thermal stations rose from 66 per cent to 79 per cent while Plant Load Factor improved from 58.7 per cent to 66.4 per cent. Dr Narla Tata Rao Thermal Power Station’s (Dr NTTPS) Unit-7 ran non-stop for 146 days and Unit-8 for 101 days without a single trip.

Reviewing the performance of power stations, Vijayanand explained that the average plant availability, the share of time a plant is ready to generate power, across Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation Ltd (APGENCO) and Andhra Pradesh Power Development Company Ltd (APPDCL) thermal stations rose sharply by 13 percentage points, from 66 per cent to 79 per cent.

As a result, the Plant Load Factor (PLF), which measures actual generation against a plant’s maximum capacity, improved from 59 per cent to 66 per cent, he said, observing that all three thermal power stations delivered outstanding results in the first six months

Vijayanand said alternative coal sources have been arranged after the steep fall in Singareni supplies, and that imported coal is arriving on schedule.

He noted that coal supplies from Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) against allotted linkages fell steeply during H1, 2026.

Only 35 per cent of the allotted quantity reached Dr NTTPS while 14 per cent reached Dr MVR RTPP, and supplies to Dr NTTPS stopped completely in August, he said.

Consequently, the southern state responded with some corrective measures, which included requesting the Ministry of Coal to transfer the SCCL linkages to Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) and Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL), among others.

Vijayanand said 1 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of coal per month is being allocated from SDSTPS Stage-I to APGENCO from October to December 2026 while imported coal is arriving on schedule.

Under APPDCL’s 5 LMT contract, three vessels have already reached Krishnapatnam Port, he said, adding that the fourth vessel is due by mid-October and supply schedules are in place up to mid-2027.

On October 7, he said the board approved the procurement of 3 LMT of imported coal for APGENCO stations (2 LMT for Dr NTTPS and 1 LMT for Dr MVR RTPP) at APPDCL benchmark rates while the Letter of Intent (LOI) is being issued immediately.

Recalling that the DISCOMs successfully managed the outages caused by boiler tube leakages in September by purchasing 989.3 MU from the open market, Vijayanand outlined the month-wise power purchase plan under an advanced power purchase plan from October 2026 to March 2027.

To keep the grid stable, the plan includes a 700 MW spinning reserve, which is standby capacity kept ready to meet any sudden rise in demand or unexpected plant outage.

Between October 2026 and March 2027, 4,185 MU will be purchased, he said.

Vijayanand affirmed that the supply system has been further strengthened, particularly for the evening peak hours through bilateral banking arrangements ranging from 130 MW to 665 MW during evening peak hours and purchases through the term-ahead market (TAM).

Other measures include round-the-clock (RTC) and peak-hour tenders through the DEEP portal, 150 MW to 557 MW of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) to serve evening peak-hour demand and 150 MW to 600 MW for morning peak-hour demand in winter.

Likewise, he said standby gas-based power arrangements have been made through NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN).

With phased annual overhaul schedules and an optimised coal transport network, the Energy Department is fully prepared to supply quality and uninterrupted power to agricultural, industrial and domestic consumers across the state, Vijayanand added.