Odisha has seen a drastic change in the way electricity is distributed and consumed in recent years. The Central Electricity Authority (CEA), in its annual report titled 'All India Energy Statistics 2023', has ranked Odisha as the first in the eastern region and third in the list of all States in terms of per capita-electricity consumption at 2,264 kWh in 2021-22, behind only Goa and Punjab.
This rank, as compared to 2022, has gone up by 4 spots. In the last three financial years, the per capita consumption of electricity inOdisha has gone up from 1,559 to 2,264 kWh, which is an almost 31.13% rise.
The Odisha Government's decision to privatise the electricity distribution sector through a public-private partnership with Tata Power has seen encouraging results.
Now, a prospective consumer can get a new connection in just four simple steps, registration, document submission, payment and verification and meter installation. Since 2020, the discoms have given over 10 lakh new connections in urban and rural Odisha combined.
Backed by the recent tariff order by Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC), which makes Odisha amongst the States with least industrial tariffs and the State Government's push for 'Invest in Odisha,' Odisha has emerged as a juggernaut for industrial development.
The Odisha discoms have cumulatively invested around Rs 3,000 crore in network augmentation and technological integration since privatisation. It has also pledged to invest Rs 3,000 crore more in the next few years.
