Andhra Pradesh is emerging as a role model among states with regard to power sector reforms. A team from the Chattisgarh State Electricity Board visited the state recently to study the reforms initiated by the administration. This follows a visit by a Gujarat Electricity Board delegation to the state.

The Andhra Pradesh government would send a technical team to Chattisgarh over the next few weeks to exchange information with CSEB officials on how to improve the existing power sector infrastructure in Chattisgarh, state officials said.

The performance of the power sector utilities in Andhra Pradesh, especially with regard to reducing transmission and distribution losses, improvements in quality of power supply and overhaul of metering and billing apparatus, had been of interest to many of the states that had initiated power sector reforms, the officials said.

The Andhra Pradesh model was now doing the rounds as a benchmark for states wanting to reform the power sector, government officials said. Over the last three years, Andhra Pradesh had taken visible strides in overhauling its power sector, they said.

The state has increased its installed capacity from 7,341 MW in 1998-99 to 10,336 MW in 2002-03, expanded its transmission and distribution network from 6,23,000 km in 1999 to 6,68,000 km in 2003 and increased power sector investments from Rs 613 crore (Rs 6.13 billion) in 1998-99 to Rs 1,347 crore (Rs 13.47 billion) in 2002-03.

Andhra Pradesh has also managed to bring down transmission and distribution losses from 36.9 per cent in 1999 to 26.13 per cent in 2002, according to government data.

The state had also been successful in the areas of strengthening of the transmission and distribution network, incorporation of information technology in various procedural aspects and improving billing and recovery, power ministry officials said.

Andhra Pradesh Genco, the state owned generation company, had an average plant load factor of 88.9 per cent last year. AP Transco, the state-owned transmission company handled a transmission network of 6,68,401 km with a total of 2,196 sub-stations.