Jamshedpur Utilities & Services Co (Jusco), a 100% Tata Steel subsidiary and the only utility in the country to serve a district as a second licensee, is sure at last about receiving an additional 40-50 MVA from Tata Power for industrial and domestic consumers in and around the Adityapur industrial area here.
Jusco started setting up the necessary infrastructure in the beginning of 2007.
Poles had been erected and high-tension power lines drawn from Tata Power’s generating units at Jojobera to Jusco’s 132-KVA main sub-station at Gamharia, 24 km away.
Work has been stalled for the last six months owing to a dispute over erection of poles across a 2-km stretch in Adityapur.
The hurdle was finally overcome recently after a settlement was reached between Jusco and people residing in the area.
“We have come out of that and will complete connection of our main sub-station at Gamharia with Tata Power by July-end,” said Sharad Kumar, general manager (power services division), Jusco. He was speaking at a seminar on Thursday on ‘industrial development of Seraikela-Kharswan district.’
Jusco has so far been receiving 10 MVA from Tata Power through an alternate route for high-tension industrial and domestic consumers in the area.
Once work is completed later this month, Jusco will receive an additional 40-50 MVA for industrial and domestic consumers.
The company is expecting a 50% market share in the Adityapur industrial area, where the total power demand is estimated to be around 70-75 MVA.
In the next phase, Jusco has planned to serve industrial units in the Chandil area, 20 km from the company’s Gamharia sub-station.
According to the Jusco general manager (power services division), out of the company’s Rs 100 crore budget to be spent over a four-year period, it has so far spent around Rs 50 crore on building infrastructure in the industrial area, including bringing power from Tata Power to its Gamharia sub-station.
Jusco expects to serve the entire Seraikela-Kharswan district by 2010-11, by which time it should be distributing around 100-110 mw.
“We will be selling around 300 million units in the district by 2011,” said Kumar.