Harish Rao claims that the power crisis in the state

HYDERABAD

BRSLP deputy leader and former minister T. Harish Rao on Thursday accused the Congress government of pushing Telangana into a serious power crisis due to what he described as lack of planning and foresight. He urged the government to ensure immediate supply of coal to thermal plants and warned that the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) would launch a nationwide agitation if the government did not ensure uninterrupted power supply to the agricultural sector.

Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan, he claimed that unannounced power cuts are causing hardship to people in all sections of society.

Mr. Rao alleged that the Congress government ignored the BRS warning despite being informed that the thermal power plants did not have sufficient coal reserves. According to him, the coal stock at Kothagudem, Kakatiya, Bhadradri and Yadadri thermal power plants is only enough for six to seven days.

He further claimed that power generation has stopped at Yadadri Thermal Power Station (YTPS) Units 1 and 4 due to shortage of coal, while generation at Bhadradri Therman Power Station (BTPS) has been suspended due to maintenance-related issues.

Asked by the government about the ongoing power outages, he said the state’s peak demand was around 15,000 MW, but thermal power plants with an installed capacity of 7,180 MW generated only 3,190 MW, or about 44% of their capacity.

The BRS chief also expressed concern over water availability in the state, saying the reservoir stock stood at 351 TMC against the total capacity of 1,059 TMC, leaving limited scope for power generation.

Mr. Rao said Telangana has an installed power generation capacity of nearly 23,000 MW but questioned why only 3,190 MW was being generated. He also alleged that the government was buying around 80 million units of electricity from the power exchange at high prices, putting unnecessary financial burden on consumers and industry.

He further cited irregularities in coal supply from Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL).

Published – 16 Jul 2026 20:44 IST