Bhubaneswar: A total of 110 people have been electrocuted in Odisha over the last 15 months, Energy Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo informed the state assembly on Wednesday.
In a written reply to a question by Bhubaneswar Central MLA Ananta Narayan Jena, Minister Singh Deo provided a breakdown of the fatalities: 49 casualties in Tata Power Central Odisha Distribution Limited (TPCODL), 7 in Tata Power Southern Odisha Distribution Limited (TPSODL), 27 in Tata Power Northern Odisha Distribution Limited (TPNODL), and 27 in Tata Power Western Odisha Distribution Limited (TPWODL).
On the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM A) scheme, the Minister stated that a 500 MW capacity project was initially approved for Odisha, based on the injection capacity of relevant substations.
The Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) had set the feed-in tariff at Rs 3.08 per unit (kWh). However, no agency showed interest at this rate. Due to slow progress and the scheme’s deadline of March 2026, the Central Government later reduced the approved capacity from 500 MW to 40 MW.
In 2023, the Energy Department designated Tata Power Distribution Company (TP-DISCOM) as the State Nodal Agency for the Kusum-A scheme. Subsequently, in 2024, OERC revised the feed-in tariff to Rs 4.40 per unit (kWh).
Following the signing of Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) for approved capacity projects, the Central Government in January 2025 sanctioned an additional 50 MW capacity under the scheme.
Minister Singh Deo also clarified that Tata Power has never opposed the Kusum-A scheme.
