Ensure Uninterrupted Quality Power Supply To Rural & Industrial Sector: Odisha CS To GRIDCO

Bhubaneswar: Reviewing the progress in power production from different sources, Odisha Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy directed GRIDCO to ensure uninterrupted quality power supply to rural and industrial sector.

Directing GRIDCO to adopt more effective commercial strategies for sale of available power, Industry and Energy departments were also asked to motivate newly coming up industries to source power from GRIDCO with assurance of timely and quality power supply.

The Chief Secretary also directed Odisha Hydro Power Corporation (OHPC) to explore the possibilities of producing more hydro power from existing dams having no submergence, land acquisition and displacement issues.

Presenting the updates, GRIDCO MD Trilochan Panda said that the total power generation reached 3489 MW during FY 2019-20 including 2468 MW from thermal, 854 MW from hydro and 167 MW from non-conventional renewable sources.

Sources said, the average yearly demand of the State comes around 3200 MW. With current expansion in rural electrification and industrialization, the power demand is likely to increase in coming years. Keeping that in view, GRIDCO is all set to generate around 4300 MW of power during 2020-21.

Similarly, the State has made significant strides in production of green energy. The power production from hydro sources has increased from 695 MW in FY 2010-11 to 854 MW in FY 2019-20.

In addition to this, the power generation from non-conventional renewable energy (RE) sources increased from 664 MW in the year 2019-20 to 1,079 MW in the year 2020-21.

The Chief Secretary directed to enhance the power generation from RE sources to 1500 MW during the year 2021-22.

It may be pertinent here to mention that Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) has set RPO obligation of the State at 11% for the year 2021-22.

With achievement of the targeted 1500 MW from RE sources, the total production from renewable sources will cross this RPO obligation of the State.

The high level meeting was held today on digital mode under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary from Lok Seba Bhawan where GRIDCO Chairman Saurabh Garg outlined the issues for discussion.

Prominent among others, Additional Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner Suresh Chandra Mohapatra, Energy Secretary Nikunja Bihari Dhal, OHPC Chairman Bishnupada Sethi, Finance Secretary Ashok Kumar Meena and GRIDCO Director (Finance) Gagan Swain participated in the deliberations.

Notably, Odisha is now a power surplus State from power deficit situation of 1990s. The State has also made significant stride in production of green energy, said a press release.