Having faced the wrath of natural disasters in the form of devastating cyclones, Odisha has developed plans for the installation of a disaster-resilient power infrastructure system.
The ambitious project, estimated to cost Rs 19,000 crore, is expected to be implemented in a staggered manner over a period of three years. Initially, the project would cover the four coastal districts of Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore and Jagatsinghpur. Five more coastal districts-Puri, Cuttack, Khurda, Ganjam and Gajapati-are envisaged for the second phase.
In recent memory, Odisha’s coastline has been hit by some destructive cyclones. Phalin, a massive cyclone storm that hit the coast of Southern Odisha in October 2013, hitting power and telecommunications infrastructure. In May 2019, the state was again confronted by a catastrophic cyclone-Fani, which razed electrical poles and snapped telecommunications and internet infrastructure. Odisha also suffered damage from Hud Hud (October 2014) and Amphan (May 2020) on the coasts of Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.
It was after the devastation of Phailin in 2013 that the State Department of Energy had initially planned a disaster-proof power infrastructure system. However, the lack of funds putatively put the brakes on the progress of the scheme.
In the latest scheme of things, the state administration appears to be firm to pursue this project with a mission to save huge losses to public property from recurring cyclones. Although Odisha has won rave reviews to evacuate and save human lives from the dread of disasters, the post-cyclone management of Odisha has stalled like a sore thumb. Power transmission lines and telecommunications towers have often capitulated to severe cyclonic storms.
Odisha ‘s Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy has instructed the departments concerned to expedite the implementation of the project on an emergency basis. Tripathy urged Gridco and Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (OPTCL) to set up a think tank to provide expertise on technical , financial, quality monitoring, advocacy and regulatory issues.
“Since the new resilient system will save huge loss of public property due to frequent cyclones, the work should be prioritized on mission mode”, said Suresh C Mohapatra, Development Commissioner, Odisha.
PK Jena, Deputy Chief Secretary and Special Relief Commissioner, suggested making overhead cables and electric poles resistant to gusty wind speeds of 300 kilometers per hour ( km / h) and beyond.
The highest recorded wind speed during cyclones in the South Asian region is 315 km / h, he said.
Under the initial contours of the plan, underground wiring would be used in cities, while cyclone-resistant overhead wiring would be used in rural areas. Bare conductors are to be replaced by insulated and bundled ones, while DP (Double Pole) mounted substations are to be converted to either compact or retrofit substations. Gas-insulated structures of type H are proposed to be extended to 33 and 11 KV lines.
The proposed power infrastructure system is promising a host of benefits – rapid restoration of power following a disaster and savings in public property losses due to its high resilience to enormous wind pressure.
