Subhechcha Ganguly 
By-Charan Singh
Nation-building process has received the proper impetus from the power sector. Odisha is doing everything possible to generate enough power to meet the needs of industries and the state’s population of more than four crore, making it the power surplus state. Odisha is doing this because it recognizes the significance of this essential cog in the growth machine. Sanjaya Mishra, the MD of OPTCL, was beaming with pride and joy as he made this joke. OPTCL has been making the right noises as a power transmission medium for the past year under his leadership.
Odisha Power Transmission corporation limited (OPTCL), one of the largest Transmission Utility in the country was incorporated in March 2004 under the Companies Act, 1956 as a company wholly owned by the Government of Odisha to undertake the business of transmission and wheeling of electricity in the State. The registered office of the Company is situated at Bhubaneswar, the capital of the State of Odisha. Its projects and field units are spread all over the State.
With the issuance of the Odisha Electricity Reform (Transfer of Transmission and Related Activities) Scheme, 2005 by the State Government in accordance with the Electricity Act, 2003 and the Odisha Reforms Act, 1995 for the transfer and vesting of transmission-related activities of GRIDCO with OPTCL, OPTCL became fully operational with effect from June 9, 2005. In accordance with Section 39 of the Electricity Act of 2003, the Company has been designated as the State Transmission Utility.
Working at a breathtaking pace OPTCL has spread its tentacles across Odisha aggrandizing the network capacity up to 15870.848 Ckt.Km. of transmission lines with 182 number of Grids sub-station with the installed capacity of 24677 MVA as on 15-08-2022.
Mr. Mishra explained that the low tension line used to be extended up to 20 km, resulting in low voltage, because there were fewer primary sub-stations. Under the guidance of the Odisha Distribution System Strengthening Project (ODSSP), which had an expenditure of about 3400 crore, the transmission lines were made more efficient by increasing the number of sub-stations and thereby shortening the length of transmission line. Phase 4 is currently under way with a budget of 1800 crore. One of the important actions OPTCL has taken is this.
In coastal area, disaster resilient system has been beefed up. Restoration process has been made very efficient.Extolling the robust transmission network, the MD, Mr. Sanjaya Kumar Mishra proudly says,” the transmission network is adequately equipped to cater to the demand of any need in the ensuing future.
Additionally, OPTCL has strengthened its position in Bhubaneswar by operating UG cabling systems on both sides of four major roads that connect to their respective connecting roads. The main beneficiaries are the residents of Bidyut Marg, Lokseva Marg, Janpath, and Cuttack Road. OPTCL has also done a commendable job of stepping up the 132kv cabling operation by covering 1. Chandaka-B GIS to Unit-8 GIS. 2. Mancheswar-B GIS Grid to Chandaka GIS Grid 3. A whopping project cost of 474.19 Cr was incurred to convert the Mancheswar-A AIS Grid to the Mancheswar-B GIS Grid.
OPTCL is undertaking projects in industries across Odisha wherein uninterrupted power supply can be made seamlessly.When Mr. Mishra joined OPTCL a year ago after taking on the responsibility of several industries, he was met with a few challenges. He took the situation by the horns and made a number of changes to the way OPTCL operates as a whole. He emphasizes the importance of decentralization for efficient operation. As a result, zonal heads were chosen in each of Odisha’s zones. They were not only given more responsibility, but also enough freedom to make decisions and distribute money so that business operations ran smoothly.
Performance and employee happiness, in Mr. Mishra’s opinion, are equally important. Therefore, in order to boost the organization’s spirit, those in leadership roles shoulder collective responsibilities to make the workplace more enjoyable, turning OPTCL into a formidable force.
