Patna, May 29: Bihar State Power (Holding) Company Ltd has decided to renovate 15 old grid sub-stations for better transmission.

The power company would also introduce a six-day week for employees working in the firm’s headquarters, supply and transmission offices. Sources said the decision has been taken to speed up projects being undertaken in the fields of generation, transmission and distribution.

Of the 83 sub-stations in the state, 44 are very old and of these, 15 would be renovated first.

Seven grids in Sitamarhi, Siwan, Hajipur, Chhapra, Ramnagar, Motihari, and Pandaul fall under Muzaffarpur transmission zone, while the remaining at Khagaul, Gaighat, Hathidah, Rajgir, Sonnagar, Karmnasha, Chandauti and Jehanabad, come under Patna transmission zone.

“The energy department has approved Rs 8.87 crore for renovation of 15 grid sub-stations. The department has also sanctioned Rs 4.87 crore to be paid as loan to the Bihar Power Transmission Company Ltd, a subsidiary of the holding company, in the current fiscal for execution of renovation work,” a department official said.

According to sources, the renovation work would take nine to 12 months from the date of commencement of the project. “Installing a new grid sub-station takes less time. For renovation of old ones, it takes time as the grid has to be closed,” he said, adding that the work would start by June-end. The decision assumes significance, as chief minister Nitish Kumar on his 2012 Independence Day speech had promised to provide power to every household by October-November 2015 when the Assembly elections are due.

Sources had told The Telegraph that the chief minister’s vow would hold true by the end of 2015 but power transmission would be a hurdle owing to the dilapidated distribution network.