VIJAYAWADA: In a major move to anchor the next generation of Asia’s digital economy, the State government has unveiled a state-of-the-art power transmission roadmap designed to support a massive influx of hyperscale data centres, cloud networks, and AI infrastructure in and around Vizag.
Special Chief Secretary for the Energy Department, K Vijayanand, announced that these strategic initiatives will further strengthen AP as one of the most attractive destinations for world-class digital infrastructure investments.
The plan was finalised on Wednesday during a multi-departmental review meeting conducted via video conference from Vidyut Soudha. The high-level session was attended by IT Secretary Katamneni Bhaskar, APTRANSCO Joint Managing Director Surya Sai Praveen Chand, APEPDCL CMD Prithvi Tej Immadi, APIIC Vice Chairman and MD Dinesh Kumar, APEDB CEO Shanmohan, and others.
Addressing the officials, Vijayanand stated that leading global technology companies and infrastructure developers are showing interest in establishing hyperscale data centres, cloud computing facilities, and next-generation digital services in the State.
“Just as ports, national highways, and airports played a vital role in driving industrial growth in the past, data centres are expected to become the backbone of the future digital economy,” Vijayanand noted.
He explained that AP is actively following an “Infrastructure First” approach, expanding transmission capacity even before power demand fully materialises on the ground to provide investors with reliability, and operational stability.
The Vizag region has secured investment proposals from several national and international technology giants, including Google, Reliance, TCS (HyperVault), CtrlS, and GMR.
According to the latest APTRANSCO estimates, 16 major data centre projects are currently at stages of development in the region, which are expected to generate approximately 9.1 GW of pure IT power load.
When considering secondary infrastructure requirements and international operational standards, the total power demand across the region is projected to reach nearly 15 GW by the financial year 2036–37.
To meet this massively growing demand, APTRANSCO has prepared a phased power transmission strategy. The blueprint includes the development of an interconnected 765 kV, 400 kV, and 220 kV transmission network linking key substations at Pendurthi, Maradam, Achyutapuram, Palasa, Padmanabham, and Makavaripalem. This network is engineered to reliably support more than 15 GW of data centre load by 2034 while allowing for future expansion.
A key component of the plan is the development of the Rambilli Data Centre Cluster. To support investments, the government will set up a 400/220 kV substation along with high-capacity transmission infrastructure and corridors. Vijayanand said reliable, high-quality power supply is essential for the digital economy.
