Bhatti in B'luru to study urban power solutions

Hyderabad: To improve the power infrastructure, especially the
underground cabling system
in Hyderabad, as well as system reliability, safety, and aesthetics, Telangana deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka visited Bengaluru on Tuesday to study the power sector. The state govt is planning to use some modern technologies and projects, such as
urban grid modernisation
programmes, in Future City.
Bhatti interacted with Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) managing director Pankaj Pandey, who is also MD of Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited. Officials gave a presentation on Bengaluru Overhead (OH) to Underground (UG) Power Conversion Project, which has emerged as one of India's most comprehensive urban power infrastructure transformations.
The project in Bengaluru was launched in 2018-19 and has already converted over 7,400 km of 11kV OH lines and thousands of km of low-tension lines into UG or aerial bunched (AB) cables.
A key innovation has been the laying of optical fiber cable ducts along UG cable routes to enable future telecom leasing as a revenue stream.
Vikramarka enquired about the financial structuring of the project, which includes loans from Asian Development Bank (ADB), Rural Electrification Corporation, and other public sector banks. The reduction in technical losses and electrical accidents, which BESCOM confirmed fell by up to 2% since UG implementation, was also discussed.
Bhatti also sought to know the readiness of OFC infrastructure for commercial use, to which BESCOM responded that while ducts are in place, last-mile coordination with telecom operators and BBMP is going on.
Later in the day, the Deputy CM visited a pilot site in Malleshwaram (15th Cross) where an Underground Distribution network, including an underground Transformer (DTR) system, has been implemented. The site showcased how DTRs can be housed in fully buried chambers with accessible maintenance panels at street level, freeing up urban space and improving safety.

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