CM lays fondation stone for Joda sub-station

Keonjhar: CM Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday laid the foundation stone for a 420/220 kV grid sub-station in Joda block at an estimated cost of Rs 1,647 crore, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Utkal Gaurav Madhusudan Das. He also inaugurated five new transmission lines, including sub-stations for Unchabali and Keonjhar.Addressing the gathering, Majhi announced plans to develop Keonjhar into the “second Jamshedpur of eastern India”. The project, he said, will benefit around 7.17 lakh power consumers in Keonjhar Sadar, Telkoi, Jhumpura, Joda and Barbil. Stressing that uninterrupted and quality power supply is key to a developed society, the CM said the government is committed to transforming the mineral-rich district into a “Sunara Kendujhar”.The project will help balance industrial and domestic power demand, he said, adding that priority will be given to strengthening the Barbil and Palashpanga grids to prevent outages. Hotline maintenance technology will also be introduced to enable repairs without disrupting power supply.Majhi said the newly built State Load Despatch Centre (SLDC) at Mancheswar will function as the “heart” of Odisha’s power management system. Under the STAMS project, 70 grids will be managed remotely, allowing quicker fault detection and resolution. He expressed confidence that these initiatives would make the state’s transmission system world-class and support industrial growth.The CM said the number of electricity consumers in the state has crossed one crore. To meet future demand, 34 new grid substations will be set up by 2036. Plans are also in place to establish 765 kV grid substations for the first time in Bhubaneswar, Jajpur, Jharsuguda and Gajapati districts.Reiterating his commitment to the district, Majhi said Keonjhar has long contributed to the state’s prosperity and now deserves focused development. He also referred to ongoing infrastructure projects such as the proposed mega ring road and a mega steel plant, and said Japan’s JFE Steel has proposed to set up a unit in the district to manufacture electrical steel. Infrastructure is being planned to meet industrial needs for the next two decades, he added.Deputy chief minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo said the new grid substation will not only serve Keonjhar but also cater to power needs in Sundargarh, Angul and Boudh (Bainda) regions. He said the government aims to electrify all remote and unconnected areas of Keonjhar and asserted that Odisha will overcome power-related challenges by 2028.