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Underground power cable in Vizag soon
The city, ravaged by the recent super cyclone Hudhud, will be the first in the country to switch over from conventional overhead power lines to technology underground cabling system.
- Project to cost `1,200 crore
- To ensure uninterrupted power at times of natural disasters
- Funding may be sought from Asian Development Bank and World Bank
- Power Finance Corpn to prepare report
Visakhapatnam: The Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Power Finance Corporation Consulting Limited, a Government of India undertaking, for consultancy work on the ambitious underground power cabling system in the city.
The city, ravaged by the recent super cyclone Hudhud, will be the first in the country to switch over from conventional overhead power lines to technology underground cabling system.
The PFC will give a detailed project report with all the technical parameters within two months after which the discom would seek funding either from Central government or external financial agencies. Most of the funds are expected from Asian Development Bank and the World Bank.
The corporation will begin the work from January 3 next year, said Chairman and Managing Director of APEPDCL M V Seshagiribabu.
Talking to this correspondent here on Wednesday, the CMD said the project would cost around Rs 1,200 crore as 33kv line would cost Rs 40 lakh per kilometer, 11kv Rs 20 lakh and low transmission lines Rs 10 lakh per kilometer. The cost would vary depending on the soil conditions and the terrain.
“Initially we will cover the entire city including bylanes and later extend to other areas under the jurisdiction of APEPDCL. The 33kv cabling alone would cover a distance of 456 km in the region,’’ he added.
The cabling would be fully automated with high end technology and power outage management system. The faults would be detected instantly but would not cause power interruption.
After receiving the detailed projects, special teams would be sent to Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat where some places the cables were put underground. The teams may also be sent to the countries frequently hit by tornados and typhoons.
The initiative was taken by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu who arrived hours after the Hudhud hit the city and personally saw the damage caused to the power supply system.
The CMD said over a lakh poles were uprooted and several transformers and structures were damaged causing a loss of Rs 700 crore to the company.
“We have fully replaced the poles and put the supply system in place,’’ he added.
By: KMP Patnaik
