TIRUPATI: APTransco and Discom have embarked on a massive expansion of transmission and distribution network with an outlay of Rs 14,000 crore.

APTransco chairman and managing director Ajay Jain said 170 substations would come up at an estimated cost of Rs 6000 crore to improve transmission. While the work on 60 substations was under progress, the work on the remaining would begin soon and completed by 2015. Speaking to media-persons here on Monday, he said to improve power distribution, 1400 substations were planned with an outlay of Rs 8000 crore.

Reiterating that top priority was being given to agriculture, he said about 1.15 lakh agripower connections were given as against the sanctioned 1.40 lakh in 2010-11. In the current fiscal also, 1.4 lakh free power supply connections were sanctioned.

On development works in Chittoor district, he said two 220 KV substations at Palamaner and Nagari would be ready for commissioning by August 15, while a third one at Rachagunneri would be ready by March, next year.

This apart, 132 KV substations were planned at Tirupati, V Kota, Garampalli and Vedurukuppam and a 220 KV substation in Madanapalli. Plans were afoot to supply power to the Mannavaram project coming up near Srikalahasthi.

He claimed that the power deficit was brought down to 3.2 per cent in 2010-2011 as against 6.6 per cent in the previous year. This is much lower compared to the country's deficit of 8.5 per cent.

The chairman said of the 14,300 hamlets in the state, 13,500 hamlets were provided power supply. About Rs 190 crore was required for electrification of the 800 hamlets.