Chhatrapur, the district headquarters of Ganjam, will become the first 'smart grid town' in the state after it starts using an advanced technology in power supply that can withstand cyclones with wind speed of around 350 km/hour.
The technology will be implemented under a disaster- resilient power strengthening project funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on an experimental basis.
The other towns in the district, Berhampur and Gopalpur, would also be included in the scheme at a cost of Rs 817 crore, energy secretary P K Jena said here on Saturday.
Energy minister Arun Kumar Sahu said the initiative was necessary as the power sector frequently bore the brunt of nature's fury.
Jena said under the scheme the towns will have underground power supply lines, apart from overhead cables.
Besides, consumers will be alerted about power cuts through SMSes. He was here to felicitate outstanding performers, who helped restore power supply in Phailin-hit Ganjam in quick time.
The government has also decided to set up a one megawatt solar power plant at Chhatrapur, chairman-cum managing director, Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited (OPTCL), Hemant Sharma, said.
The officials justified the selection of the three towns, saying Berhampur was the biggest commercial hub in the southern part of the state, Gopalpur, a seashore town, was a tourist place and Chhatrapur was the district headquarters town.
Power infrastructure in the district, particularly in these three towns, was severely damaged in cyclone Phailin in October.
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