Fashioning Amaravati as world class capital

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh has dusted off and revived a 2018 blueprint for a major overhaul of the capital region’s electricity network, shifting high-tension transmission lines underground as part of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s plan to build a world-class, greenfield capital city. The redesign eliminates the need for large overhead towers, minimises overhead lines, reduces outage risk, strengthens disaster resilience, and preserves the visual layout planned for Amaravati’s core urban zones. The Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) is coordinating the upgrade with a long-term vision of creating one of the most livable capital cities in Asia.

Minister for IT and HRD Nara Lokesh said in a post on X on Sunday that undergrounding high-tension infrastructure enhances reliability, safety and the city’s aesthetic profile, calling Amaravati a “People’s capital built for durability and future-readiness.”

The state government is simultaneously fast-tracking a broader power-sector modernisation programme, with roughly Rs 14,900 crore worth of transmission projects being pushed across 400 kV, 220 kV and 132 kV networks.

Amaravati is emerging as the highest-priority zone under the 2025 plan, with new gas-insulated substations at Nelapadu and Lingayapalem and an upgraded 220/132/33 kV node at Tadepalli forming the backbone of the redesigned grid.

Officials said the push revives elements of the original 2018 capital-city blueprint, which envisioned a fully underground utility architecture supported by extensive duct networks and nearly zero overhead lines. That design, shelved during the intervening years, is now being restored with revised funding and timelines.

In fact, this shift, as a structural reset for land values in the capital region, will help ensure clear skylines and reduced technical restrictions.

The emerging network includes large-scale GIS substations, high-capacity underground transmission routes, and planned battery energy storage systems, with completion targeted for 2027. If executed as scheduled, Amaravati will become one of the few Indian cities designed for fully underground, high-reliability power distribution, aligning the capital region with global benchmarks for urban infrastructure.