VIJAYAWADA: The State government has approved a massive Rs 521.58 crore power infrastructure package under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply for the upcoming Akhanda Godavari Maha Pushkaralu–2027.
The clearances were granted during a State Distribution Reforms Committee (SDRC) review meeting chaired by Chief Secretary G Sai Prasad at the Secretariat on Monday, which was attended by Special Chief Secretary (Energy) K Vijayanand and other officials.
With the 12-day mega religious event expected to draw nearly one crore devotees daily to the Godavari region, the committee focused heavily on advance logistics. Keeping in view an anticipated additional power demand of 100 MW in Rajamahendravaram alone, the SDRC sanctioned Rs 345.54 crore for targeted infrastructure works across Rajamahendravaram, Konaseema, Kakinada, and West Godavari districts.
The approved layout includes constructing new 33/11 kV substations, laying additional 33 kV and 11 kV transmission lines, augmenting existing transformer capacities, and deploying distribution transformers. The Chief Secretary directed officials to complete and rigorously test the entire system well ahead of the festival.
Beyond the festival preparations, the committee approved a Rs 176.04 crore tech modernisation proposal to upgrade the existing Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system in Visakhapatnam and establish a brand-new SCADA setup in Rajahmundry. These systems are slated to enable real-time grid monitoring, remote substation operations, and faster fault detection to reduce power restoration times.
Addressing project delays caused by field-level challenges, the committee formally extended the deadlines for all ongoing RDSS loss-reduction works and Advanced Metering Infrastructure Service Provider (AMISP) smart meter contracts until March 31, 2027.
This extension covers critical ongoing works by APEPDCL, APSPDCL, and APCPDCL, including agricultural feeder segregation, the bifurcation of overloaded feeders, and the high-priority underground cabling project in Vizag designed to safeguard the coastal city’s grid against natural disasters.