Underground Power Cable Project To Transform Hyderabad’s Aesthetics
Tendering to start in January for a major upgrade, replacing overhead lines in key circles
Hyderabad: The tendering work for the landmark move to modernise the city's power infrastructure is likely to begin in January next year. The government has approved a Rs 4,100-crore underground cabling project for Greater Hyderabad's Metro Zone.
The initiative targets high-density areas, including Banjara Hills, Secunderabad, Hyderabad Central, and Hyderabad South circles. It aims to replace chaotic overhead 11kV, 33kV, and LT lines along major roads with a robust underground network, enhancing reliability and aesthetics.
Bengaluru serves as a key benchmark for Hyderabad's ambitions. The IT hub's Bescom has converted nearly 90 per cent of its 6,600 km high-tension lines to underground cables in core zones like Indiranagar and Koramangala. This shift has boosted safety and visual appeal but faced initial hurdles such as traffic disruptions and power outages during digging.
Several factors like excavation in city areas, trenching, laying XLPE cables, and fixing aerial bundled supplements for narrower areas, have delayed the project in Bengaluru, have pushed the project to cost up to Rs 80 lakh per km as against the initial estimation of up to Rs 60 lakh per km. Hyderabad's Rs 4,100 crore plan for the smaller metro zone aligns closely on a per-km basis, adjusted for 2025 inflation
A key official involved with the project said that it was not just mere for beautification — it had an economic imperative. Once the underground cabling work is completed, the offices and residents can have zero-outage power supply that will attract industries, reduce interruptions, and fuel growth in the metro zone.
Funds for the project will be raised via loans, as directed to the discom. For narrow lanes, aerial bundled cables will supplement underground ones where excavation proves impractical.
The underground systems withstand monsoons and tree falls, slashing outages and electrocution risks while elevating the city's skyline. Yet challenges loom large — excavation on busy roads risks severe traffic snarls, demanding coordination with water and sewage lines.
High installation costs and fault detection complexities could prolong rare repairs. If managed adeptly, this upgrade promises Hyderabad a world-class grid, outpacing Bengaluru's progress.
Power project
Zones: Banjara Hills, Secunderabad, Hyderabad Central & South
Scope: Replace 11kV, 33kV, LT overhead lines on main roads
Key Gains: Reliability, safety, aesthetics
Challenges: Traffic disruption.
