THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has set the ball rolling for ‘Dyuti,’ the ambitious project to equip the state with the best power distribution network in the country by 2021-22.
The director board of the state-run power utility has approved a capital investment plan of `4,036.30 crore for the project which envisages a comprehensive remodelling of the state’s power distribution plan.
Top KSEB officials said the power utility has identified three options for sourcing funds - from the annual revenue of the KSEB, from Central schemes such as the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) and Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) and through loans from Central power sector agencies like the Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and the Rural Electrification Corporation (REC).
“We are looking at a multi-pronged approach. The chief aims include providing uninterrupted power supply and reducing distribution losses,” KSEB chairman and managing director N S Pillai said.
According to the capital investment plan now approved by the director board, `3,732.03 crore has been earmarked for 'normal development' work and `204.27 crore for replacing faulty electricity meters.
A sum of `50 crore has been set apart for continued electrification and another `50 crore for special projects.
'Dyuti,' apart from providing Kerala with the best distribution network in the country, also aims at achieving international standards by the 2021-22 deadline. The KSEB had already constituted Project Management Teams (PMUs), one in each electrical circle under the direct control of deputy chief engineers, to formulate the Distribution Plan and also for the effective implementation of the plan. The PMUs have already prepared the GIS-based map of the high tension-line networks and prepared DPRs.
"The availability of uninterrupted, quality power is what the people ultimately need from the utility. Notwithstanding our achievements in the electricity distribution sector, the fact remains that the quality of service is far away from the best from a global perspective," the KSEB had said in a December 2017 order on this project.