This document outlines Odisha’s comprehensive approach to strengthening power sector resilience against cyclones and floods.
Conducted by CDRI with the Government of Odisha, the study examines transmission and distribution vulnerabilities, revealing critical risks: 30% of substations are coastal, 75% of distribution lines exceed 30 years of age, and 80% of poles remain highly wind sensitive. The study proposes a replicable framework integrating zonation, exposure, and vulnerability analysis.
Key recommendations include updating building codes, wind zonation maps, and data platforms, along with risk-based governance, stakeholder collaboration, and innovative financing through grants and insurance.
Odisha’s experience, shaped by severe cyclones like Fani, offers a valuable model for coastal regions worldwide, demonstrating how data-driven strategies, collaborative governance, and financial innovation can enhance power infrastructure resilience in disaster-prone areas.
Key points
- Odisha’s study assesses coastal substations' cyclone vulnerability, highlighting infrastructure risks.
- Old distribution lines and wind-sensitive poles threaten power network stability.
- Cyclone and flood zonation, exposure analysis guide resilience-enhancing strategies.
- Updated building codes, wind maps, anemometers improve disaster preparedness.
- Risk-based governance, sectoral collaboration bolster coastal power infrastructure resilience.
- Emergency response, financing models ensure equitable recovery funding and resilience.