Underground power cables are expected to help several beachside localities in Visakhapatnam avoid prolonged electricity outages during the cyclone forecast to affect the Andhra Pradesh coast on October 27 and 28, according to Deccan Chronicle and an engineer of the Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited (APEPDCL).
The cable network covers RK Beach, Siripuram, CBM Compound, Old CBI Down, China Waltair, Peda Waltair, Pandurangapuram, Kirlampudi Layout, East Point Colony and parts of MVP Colony. These areas include some of the city’s most exposed coastal neighbourhoods and built-up residential zones.
An APEPDCL engineer in Visakhapatnam said that even if technical problems occurred because of high-velocity winds, restoration would be completed without losing much time. The statement indicates that the underground network is intended to reduce the exposure of distribution infrastructure to the type of wind-related damage commonly associated with severe cyclones.
Underground cabling work in Visakhapatnam began in March 2018. Civil works started at RK Beach under a World Bank-funded project, according to the report. The project was taken up after Super Cyclone Hudhud caused extensive damage to the city’s power infrastructure on October 12, 2014.
Hudhud disrupted electricity services across Visakhapatnam and led to large-scale restoration operations. Then Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was personally present during the immediate restoration work, the report said. The scale of the damage placed the resilience of the city’s power distribution system at the centre of post-cyclone infrastructure planning.
The underground cabling project was subsequently designed to strengthen electricity infrastructure and reduce the vulnerability of power networks to severe weather. Unlike overhead lines, underground cables are not directly exposed to falling trees, wind-borne debris and damage to poles, although faults can still occur and may require specialised maintenance and repair.
The areas covered by the project include important public and residential locations along and near the coast. Maintaining electricity in these neighbourhoods during severe weather is relevant not only to households but also to hospitals, communications systems, traffic operations, water services and emergency response, although the report did not provide details on the project’s total length, capacity or the number of connections covered.
APEPDCL’s stated response is that any technical snags caused by high winds would be addressed quickly. The immediate operational test for the network will come as the cyclone approaches the coast and authorities monitor power supply, faults and restoration requirements across Visakhapatnam.
