Underground Cables To Shield Vizag Beach Areas From Cyclone Outages
“Even if there are technical snags arising out of high velocity winds, we will restore them without losing much time”: An engineer of APEPDCL
VISAKHAPATNAM: Residents in several localities near Visakhapatnam beach may escape power interruptions during the cyclone expected to hit the coast on October 27 and 28, thanks to underground power cables laid four years ago.
The areas covered include RK Beach, Siripuram, CBM Compound, Old CBI Down, China Waltair, Peda Waltair, Pandurangapuram, Kirlampudi Layout, East Point Colony and parts of MVP Colony.
“Even if there are technical snags arising out of high velocity winds, we will restore them without losing much time,” an engineer of APEPDCL, Visakhapatnam, said.
Underground cable installation in Visakhapatnam began in March 2018, with civil works starting at RK Beach under a World Bank-funded project.
The initiative was taken up following extensive damage to the city's power infrastructure during super cyclone Hudhud, which hit Visakhapatnam on October 12, 2014. The cyclone caused widespread disruption, prompting large-scale restoration work.
Then Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was personally present during the restoration operations undertaken immediately after Hudhud.
The underground cabling project was aimed at strengthening power infrastructure and reducing the vulnerability of electricity networks to severe weather conditions.