VIJAYAWADA: Coastal Andhra Pradesh is recovering rapidly from the devastation caused by Cyclone Murasu. After the cyclone made a fierce landfall near Kothapatnam on November 3, power infrastructure across Bapatla, Prakasam, Palnadu, Guntur, NTR and Krishna districts suffered extensive damage. As darkness engulfed several areas and floodwaters surged, electricity personnel worked alongside NDRF teams to restore the power network.
Special Chief Secretary (Energy) K Vijayanand praised the skill of power utility personnel who worked round the clock in adverse conditions.
On Thursday, he visited the State Load Dispatch Centre (APSLDC) at Vidyut Soudha and reviewed the ground situation with APTRANSCO JMD Surya Sai Praveen Chand, APCPDCL CMD P Pulla Reddy and Director (Grid) AKV Bhaskar.
“From the very first hour of the disaster, our foremost priority has been the safety and well-being of our citizens,” Vijayanand said. Though infrastructure suffered extensive damage in Prakasam and Bapatla districts, teams worked tirelessly to restore power to households, farmers and businesses, he said.
He said Extra High Tension (EHT) transmission lines suffered extensive damage during the cyclone. A 220 kV terminal tower collapsed in Bapatla, bringing down its lines across the 132 kV Parchuru-Chirala corridor.
Technical teams braved strong flood currents to clear the obstruction and restore power. At the 400/220/132 kV Guddigudem substation, floodwaters breached the compound wall. Engineers deployed motor pumps to drain water, conducted technical inspections and safely restored the 400 kV lines, 220 kV bus and ICTs.
Restoration work progressed rapidly across rural and urban distribution networks. In the APEPDCL zone, 1,001 specialised teams comprising 11,537 personnel restored power to all 552 affected substations and 5,753 villages, benefiting nearly 29 lakh consumers.
In the APCPDCL zone, more than 230 specialised teams brought restoration work to its final stages in flood-affected mandals. They restored power to over three lakh domestic and commercial connections.
