Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Rama Rao alleged that poor planning, mismanagement and alleged financial irregularities involving Singareni Collieries and the state power utility GENCO have created severe electricity shortages across the state.
He warned that coal shortages at thermal power plants and a decline in power generation are inflicting hardship on farmers and industries, emphasizing that electricity underpins agriculture, irrigation, drinking water, industry, IT and domestic consumption.
Rama Rao claimed that during the previous BRS administration, Telangana’s installed generation capacity rose from 7,778 MW to 19,472 MW, backed by nearly ₹1 lakh crore in investments and a free power supply to about 30 lakh agricultural pump sets.
He said the current government is failing to maintain that infrastructure, noting that many farmers now receive only six hours of power a day instead of the promised 24‑hour supply, prompting protests at substations and raising fears of crop losses or a possible crop holiday.
Specific under‑performance was highlighted: the 4,000 MW Yadadri Thermal Power Station is reportedly generating only about 400 MW, a unit at Bhadradri Thermal Power Station has stopped functioning, and the 1,200 MW Singareni Thermal Power Plant at Jaipur is operating at roughly 544 MW due to coal shortages.
Rama Rao accused Singareni of supplying low‑grade coal to GENCO, resulting in generation losses estimated at ₹2,900 crore, and alleged that 40 lakh tonnes of coal have gone missing while the state owes Singareni around ₹52,000 crore.
Rejecting the government’s explanation that the crisis is caused by El Niño, he blamed administrative failure, corruption and mismanagement, and announced that six BRS teams will visit thermal power plants and Singareni facilities on Thursday to assess coal stocks, generation levels, plant performance and financial issues, with findings to be released to the public.