Chhatrapur is set to become the first ‘Smart Grid Town’ in Odisha with the implementation of the latest technology in power supply system which can withstand very high-speed cyclone with wind speed of around 350-kmph.
The project will be implemented under the Asian Development Bank funded proposed ‘Disaster Resilient Power Strengthening System’ in the cyclone-prone town, the district headquarter of Ganjam, on an experimental basis, official sources said. The government has already prepared the detail project report on the project. While ADB has agreed to provide loan around 60 per cent of the total cost, the state government will provide the remaining 40 per cent, the sources said.
Two other district towns – Berhampur and Gopalpur – will also be taken up later under the scheme with an outlay of Rs 817 crore, state Energy Secretary P K Jena said.
Under the scheme, power supply would be made through underground and overground cables. There would also be an alternative route to supply power. Besides, consumers would be alerted about power cut through SMS, said Jena, who was here to attend a meeting. “We’ll use all the latest technology to make Chhatrapur the first Smart Grid Town, in the state, he said.
The government has also decided to set up one mw solar power plant at Chhatrapur, said Chairman-cum-Managing Director of Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited (OPTCL) Hemant Sharma.
Implementation of the system was needed as the power sector frequently bore the brunt of the nature’s fury, particularly in these three important towns in the district, said state’s Energy Minister Arun Sahu.
