Households in the urban agglomerate of Bhubaneswar-Cuttack may not have to worry about plunging into darkness in the event of a cyclone as disaster-resilient power infrastructure would be ready by the year end.
As of now, around 90% of the scheduled works, including underground cabling, have been completed. The entire project is likely to be completed by the end of December. More than 10 lakh consumers will be benefited.
At a high-level meeting chaired by chief secretary Asit Tripathy, Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited informed that underground cabling had been completed in the major thoroughfares of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
“Through the project, the entire power transmission and distribution system will be upgraded and 20 new sub-stations of various capacities will be set up. The cost of the project is estimated to be around ₹1,600 crore, and it is funded by the State government,” said OPTCL chairman Sourav Garg.
New sub-stations
New 220 KV and 132 KV sub-stations are being set up in major localities of the twin cities. Resilient 33 KV substations are also being installed at nine places.
“The new system can meet an electrical load demand of up to 1300 MW. It will ensure 24x7 uninterrupted quality power supply at all voltage levels because of the ring supply system. It will also reduce transmission and distribution loss, electrical accidents, operation and maintenance cost and improve aesthetic look of the city,” said State Energy Secretary N.B Dhal.
Additional Chief Secretary and Special Relief Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Jena also advised the officials concerned to make the power system resilient to wind speeds of up to 300 km per hour.
