ERPC agrees on Orissa transmission projects

The Eastern Region Power Committee (ERPC), constituted with representatives from all the eastern states, has agreed to implement transmission projects worth Rs 4,000 crore in Orissa.

As per the decision of the committee, the Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL) will take up the construction of these transmission assets and the charges will be shared by the eastern states through tariff.

Though the system to be added is huge, the cost, as per the CERC pricing mechanism, will be minimal to Grid Corporation of Orissa (Gridco).

The system is expected to add reliability and flexibility to the transmission network and facilitate evacuation of power to deficit regions.

The infrastructure to be installed includes setting up of 400 KV substations at Bolangir, Sundergarh, Keonjhar and Berhampur, linking existing Duburi 400 KV substation with Central Transmission networks.

Besides, all the eastern states have agreed to share the cost of the upcoming 765 KV pooling stations at Jharsuguda, Angul and Dhenkanal which will be linked to 765 KV lines.

This was decided at a special meeting of the ERPC chaired by C J Venugopal, chairman-managing director (CMD), Gridco/Orissa Power Transmission Corporation (OPTCL), who happens to be the chairman of ERPC, in Kolkata recently.