Port Blair, July 5: The general public have been informed that the Electricity Department is taking various effective measures for improving the power supply in A&N Islands. As a step towards this, relay coordination among all stations for isolating faulty feeders to restrict faults from travelling to power houses / sub-stations was done to prevent grid collapse. Massive HT / LT line clearance in tie lines / feeders was executed through outsource to increase reliability. The Department has installed two hiring plants of 10 MW & 5 MW capacity at Bambooflat under PPA to meet the increasing peak demand. Simultaneously, two Battery Energy Storage projects are in pipeline and are expected to be commissioned by 2026 to deal with grid stability issues and solar intermittency.
Moreover, under Long term solution Central Electricity Authority (CEA) on the direction of MoP have arrived to the most reliable and stable solution by extending National Grid to A&N Islands through 320 KV, 250 MW HVDC undersea cable expected by 2029-30. SECI and NVVN are roped in by Ministry for implementing various Renewable Energy projects in view of energy security in these Islands.
For seamless redressal of power related grievances of consumers and general public, a Centralized Control Room (CCR) has been established 24x7. A Toll Free No. 1800-345-1111 and Whatsapp No. 9531822200 is functional 24x7 for receiving the complaints. The complaints received at CCR are diverted through Consumer Complaint Handling Mechanism (CCHM) to the concerned site offices for early redressal within the stipulated time period.
Further, a new contract of 5 MW power equipped with more efficient engines and breakers for enhanced reliability which needed closure of an existing 5 MW plant in the same location. The existing plant ceased its operation on 08.06.2024 and the installation and commissioning of the new plant at the current site is expected to take approximately 60 days.
During this season, as the Power Department experiences low demand but whenever there is any increase in demand during evening peak hours isolation of some feeders are done to maintain balance between demand and supply.
Even though it is a collective duty of the service provider and consumer to save power enabling the Electricity Department to minimize the load shedding to the extent possible. The Electricity Department sincerely appeals to the general public for judicious use of power through demand side management and to avoid usage of power guzzlers during evening peak hours to reduce increased strain on the grid.
Despite numerous challenges, the Department has taken decisive action to maintain the power supply in peak hours by minimum interruption and Demand Side Management (DSM). The Department with its limited infrastructures is putting the best efforts to meet the aspiration of the consumers. For complaints call us at: Toll free No. 1800-345-1111 and WhatsApp No. 9531822200 (only WhatsApp).