Power Supply Restored to 29 Lakh Consumers in Cyclone-Hit Areas
Special CS (Energy) Vijayanand expressed confidence that uninterrupted supply would soon be ensured across the state.
Power supply has been restored to nearly 29 lakh consumers in the cyclone-hit districts, while electricity personnel are continuing to repair the damaged infrastructure, so that the remaining homes, farms, and businesses could receive electricity.
Special chief secretary (Energy) K. Vijayanand on Thursday praised the power utility staff for carrying out restoration works despite heavy rains and floods following the cyclone’s landfall near Kothapatnam on November 3.
Following the two cyclones, Vijayanand reviewed the situation at a meeting he held at the State Load Dispatch Centre of Vidyut Soudha with APTRANSCO joint managing director Surya Sai Praveen Chand, APCPDCL chairman and managing director P. Pulla Reddy, and director (Grid) A.K.V. Bhaskar.
The cyclones had severely disrupted the power network in Bapatla, Prakasam, Palnadu, Guntur, NTR and Krishna districts. Vijayanand said public safety remained the priority as teams worked to restore electricity in hazardous conditions. He expressed confidence that uninterrupted supply would soon be ensured across the state.
The extra-high-tension transmission network suffered extensive damage. A 220-kV terminal tower collapsed in Bapatla, bringing down lines across the 132-kV Parchuru-Chirala corridor. Technical teams cleared the obstruction and restored supply despite flood currents.
At the 400/220/132-kV Guddigudem substation, floodwater breached the compound wall. Engineers used heavy motor pumps to drain the water, conducted safety inspections, and restored the 400-kV lines, 220-kV bus, and primary interconnected transformers.
In the APEPDCL zone, 1,001 teams comprising 11,537 personnel have restored supply to all 552 affected substations and 5,753 villages, benefiting nearly 29 lakh consumers.
Vijayanand said work is continuing where poles have fallen into ponds or waterlogging has prevented their immediate replacement. Temporary arrangements are being made to provide power to the affected areas until permanent repairs could be completed.
The special CS asked people to stay away from fallen poles, snapped wires, and electrical equipment submerged in water. He requested consumers to report information about supply disruptions and damaged transformers through the electricity department’s toll-free helplines.
