Energy Minister AK Sharma said that the state government has drawn elaborate plans for strengthening the power distribution network for overall improvement across the state at an estimated expenditure of Rs 666.09 crore. The plan includes the construction of six primary or transmission sub-stations and laying of optical fibre lines and ABT meters.

The decision was taken at the meeting of the Energy Task Force chaired by the power minister in Lucknow on Tuesday. Projects approved by the ETF include three primary sub-stations of 220 kV each at Bareilly, Meerut and Noida and two 132 kV primary sub-stations at Barabanki and Muzaffarnagar. The total estimated cost of these substations will be Rs 370 crore.

Construction of these sub-stations will immensely enhance grid connectivity of the district and ensure 24x7 power supply and permanent solution to problems like low voltage.

Sharma said that the UP Power Corporations was also working for the installation of ABT (availability-based tariff) metres at interface point and installation of optical fibre lines on high potential transmission lines of 132 KV. The estimated cost of this project will be Rs 297 crore will be financed by ‘Power System Development Fund (PSDF) of Union Energy Ministry.

Completion of this project will enable the power utility to get real time data and efficient power grid management.  The completion of primary power transmission sub-stations and grid projects will also help the power utility to bring down the cost of power supply. The Energy department approved total projects worth Rs 666.09 crore on Tuesday.