Rs 600 crore for power transmission sector

Bhubaneswar: The state-owned Orissa Power Transmission Corporation Limited (OPTCL) will invest about Rs 600 crore for strengthening of the power transmission infrastructure in the state.

The utility will mobilise Rs 480 crore (80 per cent of this amount) as loan and will invest the remaining 20 percent from its internal resources.

The Orissa government has agreed to provide guarantee to OPTCL for raising the loan amount. OPTCL has been instructed to initiate discussion with Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) in this regard, Surya Narayan Patro, the state energy minister, said.

Talking to the media after a high level review meeting on transmission chaired chief minister Naveen Patnaik here today, Patro said, the government has decided to strengthen the transmission infrastructure to meet the demand of power for rural electrification and the upcoming industries in the state.

In addition to the existing transmission lines, 132 Kv, 220 Kv and 400 Kv substations will be set up in different districts.

Fourteen 132 Kv sub-stations will be set up in Barbil, Purusottampur, Anandapur, Banki, Bhawanipatna, Paradeep, Nuapada, Kuchinda, Chandapur, Padmapur, Boudh and Kalinga.

An estimated Rs.301 crore will be invested for setting up these sub-stations.

Similarly, 220 Kv substations will be set up in industrial belts like Jharsuguda, Khurda and Bonei (Sundergarh district).

About Rs.92 crore will be spent on these sub-stations.

That apart, two 400Kv sub-stations will be set up in Sundergarh and Keonjhar involving an expenditure of Rs.215 crore.

The plan as a whole involves an investment of Rs.600 crore, the minister said.

The chief minister is reported to have instructed OPTCL to finish the work in time.

It was decided to finish all the work starting from identification of the place and tender fixation to issue of work order in a time bound manner.

Besides, OPTCL has been permitted to fill its vacant posts based upon its need without the approval of the finance department.

He said, the current installed capacity in the state sector is 2815 Mw.

While the installed capacity of the thermal sector is 880 Mw, the same for hydel sector is 1935 Mw.

Similarly, the state is getting 951 Mw thermal power and 75 Mw hydro power from the Central pool.

Meanwhile, the energy minister has convened a meeting to discuss the problem of evacuation of power in which the representatives of Central Electricity Authority (CEA) and Power Grid Corporation Of India Limited (PGCIL) will take part.