Committed to ensuring 24-hour uninterrupted power supply to domestic consumers in rural areas, the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) plans to take up the task of separating single-phase and three-phase feeders and upgrading the overloaded and worn-out transformers.

The task of separating the feeders will cost over Rs 3,000 crore, for which the Corporation is pinning their hopes on the World Bank and Power Finance Corporation. On Wednesday, a presentation of the plan was made before the World Bank representatives. The Power Finance Corporation has agreed, in principle, for a loan up to 80 per cent of the total project cost.

“There will be separate feeders for light and fan connections, which will provide 24-hour power supply. Separate feeders will also supply power for other purposes like tubewells,” said Navneet Sehgal, Chairman and Managing Director of UPPCL.

The job of separating the feeders would commence from western UP and will take at least two years to be completed, he added.

The Corporation has already started the process of purchasing around 50,000 transformers from private companies by floating global tenders for three-star transformers, which are approved by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission. 

The Corporation has sanctioned Rs 200 crore for upgrading the transformers, which are already overloaded.

Currently, while big cities get power supply for 20 hours, district hea-dquarters get a supply for 14 to 16 hours. The rest of the state receives around four to six hours of power supply.

Due to short supply, the farmers start using tubewells as soon as the power supply resumes and the machines continue to run till the time the power is available.

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