OPTCL Inducts Advanced Van-Mounted Cable Fault Locator to Boost Power Restoration in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: In a step towards strengthening Odisha’s power infrastructure, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment and Energy, Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, on Wednesday inaugurated OPTCL’s state-of-the-art Van-Mounted Cable Fault Locator and Testing System at Kharavel Bhawan in Bhubaneswar.

The launch event was attended by Additional Chief Secretary of the Energy Department, Vishal Kumar Dev, along with Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited (OPTCL) Chairman-cum-Managing Director Bhaskar Sarma.

Speaking on the occasion, Singh Deo said the state government is steadily expanding its underground electricity transmission network across urban areas to provide a more dependable and safer power supply. He stated that nearly 44.2 kilometres of Extra High Tension (EHT) underground cable network is already operational in and around Bhubaneswar, while another 26.55 kilometres is expected to become functional in the near future.

Highlighting the challenges of maintaining underground power infrastructure, the Deputy Chief Minister explained that identifying faults in buried cables is often a difficult and time-consuming task because the cables are not visible. Traditional fault detection methods can significantly delay restoration work.

He expressed confidence that the newly introduced mobile cable fault detection and testing system would enable engineers to pinpoint faults much faster, reducing power restoration time and improving the reliability of underground EHT transmission lines in Bhubaneswar as well as other urban centres across Odisha.