DHBVN to link Manesar, Badshahpur areas under Gurugram Smart Grid project

The Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam(DHBVN) has decided to connect industrial areas in Manesar and residential and commercial areas along Badshahpur under its Smart Grid project, people familiar with the matter said on Saturday.

A senior DHBVN official said they are preparing estimates for including Manesar and Badshahpur under the Smart Grid. The move comes after industrialists in Gurugram and Manesar asked the authority to end unscheduled power cuts.

“Estimates are being prepared to expand the Smart Grid project in areas around Badshahpur and Manesar where many industrial units are based. We will seek approval from the state and central government. Based on how much funds are available, new electricity infrastructure will be set up in these areas along the lines of Gurugram city,” said VK Aggarwal, chief engineer, Smart Grid.

DHBVN launched the Smart Grid project in July 2018 in Sectors 1 -57 under which smart metres measure power consumption, overhead 11 Kv power lines were shifted underground, and transformers were upgraded, among other steps to improve the quality and availability of power supply. At least 80% of Gurugram is already covered under the Smart Grid project. A large part of the city where Smart Grid has been implemented has avoided unscheduled power cuts, load shedding, and routine electricity faults after the power cables were shifted underground and new feeders were set up.

Aggarwal said that the remaining parts of Gurugram will soon be covered under the Smart Grid project. “One of the contractors did not finish the job due to which DHBVN cancelled the contract. We will get the work completed at the earliest,” he said.

He added that the tender for setting up the high-tech Scada (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system to manage electricity distribution and supply would be allotted soon. “Three companies have been found eligible for this project,” he said.

Sumit Rao, general secretary, Gurgaon Industrial Association (GIA), said that power supply in Manesar industrial areas is in bad condition. “Power cuts are rampant and this has negatively impacted production in industrial units. Since we are also not allowed to use diesel gensets, this is an existential dilemma for us,” he said.