Govt. to spend Rs. 25 cr. on six new sub-stations

The government has sanctioned six 33/11 Kv sub-stations for the capital region costing nearly Rs. 4 crore each, and the process of identifying land is under way. Except for two of them, land has been identified, and necessary formalities are being completed by APTransco and the Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (SPDCL).

An equal number of sub-stations were sanctioned earlier, and they are in advanced stages of construction, according to official sources.

These sub-stations are aimed at meeting the imminent spurt in demand, particularly from the industrial sector, the potential of which is being tapped by prospective entrepreneurs in a slow but steady manner. One such facility is coming up on Museum Road in the city.

Where land availability is a problem, steps are being taken with the help of the Revenue Department.

Due priority is given to reducing the Aggregate Technical and Commercial losses under the Restructured-Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme and laying underground cables in the Capital region to offer protection to power infrastructure from cyclones.

Augmentation of the infrastructure has been necessitated by the growing importance of Vijayawada and Guntur in the wake of their announcement as the capital region.

Officials have now turned their attention to constructing indoor sub-stations to avoid the problem of land scarcity. For the record, the annual power consumption of Vijayawada city alone hovers around 25 Mega Watts, and it is poised to go up substantially in the near future.

Smart grid

Another major project which will be helpful in improving the quality of power is the Smart Grid for which the Japan International Cooperation Agency has committed an investment of nearly Rs. 30 crore in the initial stages. Fuji Electric will be the technological partner with the State power utilities in this project, which is will be a pilot for similar ventures in the power sector.

A gas-insulated sub-station costing around Rs. 100 crore will give a fillip to the sector.