Vizag's electricity consumption has increased by 22%.

26 Apr 2023

Visakhapatnam city consumed about 6,700 million units (MU) of electricity in the 2018-19 financial year. This further increased to 8,164 MU in the 2021-22 fiscal. The increase in the consumption in these three years translates to 22%, which is said to be the highest for any region in the state. According to officials, the ever-increasing industrialisation and urbanisation in the region is contributing to the growing energy demand. As many as 10 gas-insulated substations have been constructed in the city during this time for supplying electricity to industries in Visakhapatnam. APEPDCL CMD I Prudhvi Tej, who assumed the office on Tuesday, reviewed the progress of APEPDCL projects. "Vizag is one of the best destinations for further investments. Power sector will play a major role in attracting investments. The increasing demand is a tell-tale sign of the spurt in economic activity in Visakhapatnam. Many industries and IT companies may foray into the city in the future. Considering these factors, the APEPDCL should have a special action plan to provide quality power supply at world class standards", said Prudhvi Tej. He told the officials that sustained efforts shall have to be made to make APEPDCL the best Discom in the country and one of the best utility in the world."As electricity is the prime driver for state's development, which helps to improve the living standards of people, utmost priority shall be given to supply 24x7 quality and cost-effective power. This is one of the most important objectives of the state government for stimulating economic growth on a fast track in the state," said Prudhvi Tej. The new APEPDCL CMD asked the officials to focus on reducing distribution transformer failures, repair costs, operational and maintenance expenditure, and theft of power."Substation automation, usage of artificial intelligence for preventive maintenance activity, and optimum utilisation of manpower will make the company future ready," said Prudhvi Tej.