Union Minister for Power Raj Kumar Singh urged the establishment of energy account divisions across the state to evaluate, analyze and report on energy usage during a review meeting with CM Yogi Adityanath.
The Power Account Division should be made up of a senior official in each distribution company and a division / circle wise energy account published to usher efficiency in power distribution, said Singh.
The Union Minister also stressed the need for transformers to be met and smart and pre-paid electricity meters to be installed in order to minimize line losses, a major dissuasive factor in the state’s round-the-clock power supply. It was Singh’s first meeting with CM Yogi Adityanath to determine the distribution of power in the state in the midst of a pandemic. Energy accounting is primarily undertaken to increase the quality of power delivery and to track the environmental effects of energy usage.
Singh said that the Center will provide funding for the electrification of remote villages in the state. “The country has not only achieved self-reliance, but was in a position to export power. The transmission capacity across the country has been strengthened to the extent of transferring 1 lakh MW of power from one region to another,” he said.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the state government was committed to providing 24-hour electricity, which was not disrupted even during the Covid-induced pandemic. The Chief Minister said the state government has launched a campaign to provide electricity to consumers in the state.
The Joint Secretary of the Union Ministry of Energy, Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan, also made a presentation on electrification in the province. Narayan, who was former Secretary of CM Yogi, said that in the last three years as many as 1,21 lakh hamlets in the state had been electrified and 1,24 crore connections had been made. “The condition of power in the state has changed,” Narayan said.
Singh was told that the government had set a goal of installing 40 lakh smart metres, 10 of which had been installed. The state has agreed to set up 423 new distribution substations. Additional Chief Secretary of Electricity, Arvind Kumar, said the state government had set a comprehensive blueprint for reducing line losses by 2024.
He said the state government was also conducting energy audits of various feeders, as well as setting up dedicated police stations to curb theft of electricity.
