The AP power utilities are fully geared up and putting all out efforts to restore the power supply on war-footing in the cyclone affected areas of Chittoor and Nellore districts.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu directed the official machinery to conduct pole to pole survey in all affected areas for quick restoration of power supply. “During the exigencies, we should stay with the public and ensure timely restoration of services and minimizing the inconvenience and arrange alternate power supply wherever feasible and take up repairs and maintenance works on damaged poles, lines and distribution transformers round-the-clock.
The Chief Minister held a teleconference on the damages caused by the “Roval” cyclone to the power infrastructure and power supply situation in several districts of Andhra Pradesh, particularly Nellore and Chittoor districts, Energy Secretary Ajay Jain has said over 90% of restoration works have been completed and assured completion of the remaining works at the earliest. In the teleconference along with K Vijayanand, CMD/APTransco, MD/APGenco K Ranganatham, Energy Advisor R Mutyala Raju, CMD/APEPDCL and H.Y. Dora, CMD/APSPDCL, Ajay Jain directed the entire employee/engineer community to fully engage themselves for quick restoration and suggested them not to avail any leave/holidays in this period of natural calamities.
K.Vijayanand said Special Centralized Breakdown Teams (CBD) are deployed in Nellore and Chittoor districts for restoration of power supply. The Extra High Voltage Substations (132kV and above) could sustain the Cyclone and heavy rainfall and the 400KV Chittoor-Krishnapatnam feeder, which tripped due to ground fault was charged duly conducting all tests. Some 178 33KV Substations, 116 33KV Feeders, 754 11KV feeders were affected and most of these have been restored. Special Monitoring Cells were set up at Tirupati, APSPDCL and Vidyut Soudha, Hyderabad to monitor and review the power restoration works on minute-to-minute basis.
H.Y. Dora, CMD/APSPDCL, has apprised the Secretary that he has personally visited many affected substations and lines and monitored power restoration works in Nellore and Chittoor circles. The officials were directed to take preventive measures and check all the transformers which may get damaged and take all the steps to prevent any unforeseen conditions. The field officers apprised the Energy Secretary that the required emergency material such as transformers, poles, conductor, insulators, tower parts spares, etc. and other equipment necessary for restoration works are kept ready as spares in stores, so that those can be shifted to the affected areas on war-footing basis. (NSS)