March 18, 2014
The Odisha government, which had announced a smart grid power network for the Phailin-affected Ganjam district earlier this year, said the process of awarding the contract for this project would be completed by June.
The global tender for the project was floated by Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (OPTCL) in two phases in last couple of weeks. The cost of the project is estimated at Rs. 1,000 crore. While Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to provide a loan of around Rs. 650 crore and the rest Rs. 350 crore will be borne by the state government.
The state government felt the necessity of smart grid project after cyclonic storm Phailin in October 2013 battered entire power network system in Ganjam district, damaging substations, cable network worth over Rs. 1,000 crore. The district had remained without power connection for almost a month after the storm.
“The district would not have to be remain without power connection had there been smart grid system in place,” said Reji Pillai, president of India Smart Grid Forum at a workshop.
Smart grid system uses underground cabling network and automated digitalised substation within a power network to reduce power transmission losses. It includes energy efficient system such as Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) along with Central Data Control Unit (CDCU).
The system also has measures to check automatic tripping of substations in case of sudden changes in power supply at the time of natural disasters.
The smart grid project in Odisha is the second such project in the whole country after Pondicherry and it will be implemented under the name, Odisha Power Sector Emergency Assistance Project. Accordingly, a Detailed Project Report (DPR) was finalized to avail $100 million loan from Asian Development Bank (ADB) and in February, the state government decided to float the tenders. OPTCL had floated the first tender on 28 February, while the second tender was released on 3 March.
The tender work involves setting up of 33 kV and 11 kV gas insulated substation with SCADA (Supervising Control and Data Acquisition) facility. Gas insulated (GI) substation are known for occupying 60 per cent lesser area than traditional substation with limited maintenance requirement and facility to operate from distance with the help of communication technology.
The scope of the work also involves underground cabling of 132 kV power line of 54 KM, 33 kV and 11 kV power lines of 300 KM, which will be first of its kind in the state. Apart from Ganjam, the state government has also plans to set up similar facility in state capital region area and will soon appoint a consultant to prepare a roadmap in this regard.