Odisha is the first State in the Country to have undertaken reform and restructuring in power sector to make power supply more efficient and to be able to meet the investment needs of the sector. The State Electricity Board which was a monolithic organisation, looking after generation, transmission and distribution of power was unbundled. The Grid Corporation of Orissa Limited (GRIDCO) was entrusted with the responsibility of Transmission and Distribution Systems, where as Orissa Hydro Power Corporation owned and operated all hydro power generation stations in the State from 1st April'1996. The Orissa Electricity Reforms Act 1995 came into force with effect from 1st April'1996. An independent transparent regulatory regime, Orissa Electricity Regulatory.
Commission (OERC) was established in April'1996 in order to look after the regulation measures and also to promote accountability in the sector and to encourage private sector investment.
Subsequently in April'1999, the distribution business of GRIDCO was privatised when GRIDCO disinvested 51% of its share of its equity holding in Distribution Companies to Private Investors with financial and technical capabilities.
Disinvestment in power distribution sector is a major step in the power sector reform initiative which is now being replicated in other States of the Country.
NESCO , WESCO & SOUTHCO was incorporated on 19.11.1997 under the Companies Act, 1956. It has taken over the Business of “Distribution and Retail Supply of Electricity” in the North Eastern Zone, Western & Southern Zone of the Orissa of GRIDCO.
Pursuant to the Orissa Electricity Reforms Act 1995 and Orissa Electricity Reforms (Transfer of Assets, Liabilities, Proceedings and Personnel of GRIDCO to Distribution Companies) Rules 1998, in the year 1998 all the assets of GRIDCO pertaining to the distribution business and distribution undertaking in the North Eastern, Western & Southern Zone of GRDICO was transferred to NESCO,WESCO & SOUTHCO vide Orissa Gazette Notification Published dated 26/11/1998 and NESCO,WESCO & SOUTHCO started its business operation on and from that date.
By virtue of Power Sector reform in Orissa, NESCO,WESCO & SOUTHCO became a subsidiary of BSES Limited, Mumbai on 1st April 1999 by acquisition of 51% of the shareholding of the Company by BSES Limited.
The license for distribution of electricity held by North-eastern Electricity Supply Company of Odisha Limited, Western Electricity Supply Company of Odisha Limited and Southern Electricity Supply Company of Odisha Limited was revoked on 04.03.2015 vide OERC Order dated 04.03.2015 in pursuance to section 19(3) of the Electricity Act, 2003.In line with the said Order, the assets, interests and rights of the respective companies and the license to operate the business of distribution and supply of electricity in the entire Northern, Western and Southern regions of Odisha state has been vested with the Administrator(s) of NESCO Utility, WESCO Utility and SOUTHCO Utility respectively by OERC under section 20(d) of the Electricity Act,2003 w.e.f. 04.03.2015.
TP Central Odisha Distribution Limited (TPCODL) is a joint venture between Tata Power and the Government of Odisha with the majority stake being held by Tata Power Company (51%). TPCODL serves a population of 1.36 Crore with Customer Base of 26 Lakh and a vast Distribution Area of 29,354 Sq. Km.
Tata Power has a vast experience in electricity distribution in Mumbai, Delhi and Ajmer, and has been a benchmark performer in Delhi for the last 17 years, where losses have been brought down from a high of 53% in 2002 to approximately 7.9% in March 2019. In addition to loss reduction, customer experience has been enhanced by providing one-stop solutions, from state-of-the-art Call Centers and Consumer Care Centers to effective communication and deployment of customer-centric process, creating Customer Delight.
At TP Central Odisha Distribution Limited, the entire focus is on providing reliable power supply, enhanced customer services and reducing the existing AT&C losses of 30.49% in a systematic manner. All this will be achieved by upgrading the present distribution infrastructure, adopting new technologies and provide various digital services to our customers.
About Tata Power
Tata Power is India's largest integrated power company with a growing international presence. The Company together with its subsidiaries and jointly controlled entities has an installed gross generation capacity of 10,613 MW and a presence in all the segments of the power sector, namely, Fuel Security and Logistics, Generation (Thermal, Hydro, Solar and Wind), Transmission, Distribution and Trading.
It has successful public-private partnerships in Generation, Transmission and Distribution in India namely Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited with Delhi Vidyut Board for distribution in North Delhi, Powerlinks Transmission Ltd. with Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. for evacuation of Power from Tala Hydro plant in Bhutan to Delhi and Maithon Power Ltd. with Damodar Valley Corporation for a 1050 MW Mega Power Project at Jharkhand. Tata Power is serving more than 26 Lakh distribution consumers in India (Mumbai, Delhi & Ajmer) and has developed the country's first 4000 MW Ultra Mega Power Project at Mundra (Gujarat) based on super-critical technology.
