Prepare to face El Nino shock, minister tells energy companies

Power Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar on Wednesday directed officials to remain on high alert during August, September and October in view of the impact of El Nino on the power sector.

After reviewing the preparedness of the Power Department at the Secretariat, Mr. Ravi Kumar instructed the officials of APGenco and APTransco to work closely together to ensure uninterrupted power supply and avoid inconvenience to consumers.

As electricity generation from hydro and wind farms has fallen this year due to insufficient rainfall, he asked officials to focus on thermal power generation while increasing renewable energy production.

The minister directed power companies to maintain sufficient coal stocks for at least 15 days of production and advised them to procure imported coal whenever the US dollar and market indices are favorable.

He stressed the need to ensure that the current daily demand of about 280 million units is met without interruption and called for greater use of battery energy storage systems.

The meeting was attended by APGenco CEO S. Nagalakshmi and senior officials of the power department and power companies.

Published – 22 Jul 2026 22:43 IST