OPTCL plans complete power supply in Capital city within 72hrs!

Bhubaneswar: With the State-run energy utility Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited (OPTCL) going to put in place the ERS (Emergency Restoration System) structures in Fani hit Chandaka grid, power supply to the Capital city will likely to be restored fully in next 48-72 hours.

According to Uttam Kumar Samal, Director, OPTCL, a 400KV transmission tower of Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) has fallen on a 400KV tower of OPTCL leading to disruption of power supply from Chandka grid to the city. Also, another 200KV transmission tower of OPTCL was damaged by gusting winds of Fani.

The damage to 400KV PGCIL transmission line has badly affected PGCIL's Pandiabil grid substation, he added.

"Though erecting a new 400KV transmission tower will take time and hamper power restoration work in the Capital city, we are banking on the ERS structures to restore power supply from Chandaka grid soon," he informed and added that OPTCL has alternate power transmission structures of 220KV that will also help in fulfilling the required power supply demand of the Capital city.

The distribution utility Cesu has restored power supply in the Capital city to the utilities of priority like Capital Hospital, AIIMS, KIMS, airport, railways and water pump houses on Monday.

Senior OPTCL officials observed that ERS structures would help in restoring power supply in shortest possible time, but the nagging delay in quick restoration is inadequate deployment of skilled manpower.

Energy secretary Hemant Sharma had earlier rued that when the manpower needed for quick restoration of power infra is 10,000, men deployed now are numbered at around 5,000 only.

"Since railway services were stopped post cyclone and as the train services have resumed only now, the real time availability of skilled manpower has posed challenges before the quick restoration work of damaged power infra in the Capital city," explained Samal.