Power ministry asks Odisha to use PSDF money

The Union power ministry has urged the Odisha government to utilise Rs 162.50 crore allocated to the state under Power System Development Fund (PSDF).

PSDF is meant for creating necessary transmission systems of strategic importance based on operational feedback by Load Despatch Centres for relieving congestion in inter-state transmission systems.

The fund is also to be utilised towards installation of shunt capacitors, series compensators and other reactive energy generators for improvement of voltage profile in the grid, installation of standard and special protection schemes, pilot and demonstrative projects.

Moreover, the fund is to be used for setting right discrepancies identified in protection audits on regional basis and renovation and modernisation (R&M) of transmission and distribution systems for relieving congestion and any other scheme or project in furtherance of the above objectives, such as, conducting technical studies and capacity building.

State owned transmission utility Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (OPTCL) is executing major projects in the transmission space.

OPTCL has lined up projects worth Rs 11,471 crore by 2017-18.

The outlays include Rs 10,666 crore to be spent on 214 new grids and lines, Rs 403 crore on operations & maintenance Capex (capital expenditure), Rs 200 crore on four projects on telecom infrastructure, Rs 62 crore on IT upgradation and civil projects worth Rs 140 crore.

The IT projects include ERP (enterprise resource planning), e-governance, business analytics, IT security, smart grid and automation.

OPTCL's ongoing projects on grids and lines include four 400 KV lines, eighteen 220 KV lines and thirty seven 132 KV lines at a total cost of Rs 1,713.68 crore.

The central power ministry has also asked the state government to give its consent for distribution of LED (light emitting diode) bulbs under the Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme (DELP). Conventional street lighting would be replaced by LED lighting as per the scheme.

Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of public sector companies of the Union power ministry, has procured over 900,000 LED bulbs meant for distribution in Odisha in the first phase.

EESL would procure LED bulbs in bulk and sell them to households at Rs 10. The electricity distribution companies will then repay EESL over a period of five to eight years from the savings that accrue due to use of this energy efficient technology. An LED bulb uses only a tenth of energy compared to a normal incandescent bulb and half as much energy as a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) to produce the same amount of light.

The entire project of installing these LED bulbs for domestic and street-lighting in 100 cities is targeted for completion by March 2016.