Power ministry makes arrangements to face cyclone Amphan

New Delhi, May 19: The power ministry on Tuesday said it has put in place adequate arrangements to face cyclone Amphan. The cyclone is expected to make landfall on the West Bengal coast on Wednesday afternoon between Digha in West Bengal and Hatiya island in Bangladesh.

"Union Ministry of Power has put in place adequate arrangements/preparedness to handle power supply situation in the wake of forecast that cyclone Amphan is expected to make landfall tomorrow, May 20, afternoon," the ministry said in a statement.

The cyclone is likely to affect West Bengal and Odisha, it said. Ministry of Power has been monitoring the situation and coordinating with all stakeholders, that is state governments and their power utilities, generators and transmission companies, grid operators and the manufacturers for supply of materials, the statement added.

The National Load Desptach Centre (NLDC) and Eastern Regional Load Despatch Centre (ERLDC) of POSOCO have been nominated as the main control centres, it said. The nodal officers at senior levels from the departments of Energy/Power in Odisha and West Bengal have been nominated to respond to any emergency situations.

"Our public sector companies i.e, NTPC, PGCIL and POSOCO (Power System Operation Corporation) have made all necessary preparations to deal with the situation and help the state power utilities in efficient restoration of the damages, if any, due to the cyclone," it said.

PGCIL and NTPC have set up 24x7 control rooms at Bhubaneswar and Kolkata. PGCIL has also set up a 24x7 control room at PGCIL head quarters in Manesar. The National Grid Operator - POSOCO is keeping close watch over the situation and is tracking the cyclone path, it said.

Preliminary advisory was issued on May 17 by NLDC to all RLDCs (Regional Load Despatch Centres). Advisories were also issued on May 18 by NLDC to RLDCs and all related transmission licensees and by ERLDC to State Load Desptach Centres (SLDC) of West Bengal and Odisha, the statement said.

Emergency Restoration Systems (ERS) (32 at 400 kV and 24 at 765 kV) along with adequate manpower have already been placed at key locations which will be used in case any transmission tower collapses and transmission lines are disrupted.

Transportation has also been tied up for placement of ERS at the damaged site as may be required. Necessary spare parts of transmission equipment, DG (diesel gensets) sets, transformer oil, emergency lights and other required material have also been mobilised.

Manufacturer of various items like poles, transformers, cables, among others have also been alerted for providing material on urgent basis as per the requirement, it said. For damages, if any, to state transmission lines and other power infrastructure, all necessary support shall be extended to state power utilities, it added.

To track cyclone Amphan, please visit this link. The website quite similar to IMD website shows real-time updates of the cyclone and provides all the latest information.