Bhubaneswar, March 15: To make the gruelling and humid summer somewhat bearable at home, the Central Electricity Supply Utility (Cesu) has decided to upgrade the transformers in the existing distribution network to facilitate better power supply.

At a time when rising temperature and humidity is making life unbearable, frequent power cuts add to the woes.

Therefore, to bring some relief, the Cesu has added four new transformers at two primary sub-stations at Khandagiri and Delta Colony (Unit VIII).

It has also upgraded 100 smaller distribution transformers at the secondary sub-stations across the city.

Superintending engineer, Cesu, S.K. Swain said the distribution company would upgrade 20 smaller transformers within this month to ensure better and uninterrupted power supply during the summer months.

At present, while the construction of two 12.5MVA transformers at Khandagiri is already under way, two transformers of eight MVA each will be installed at Delta Colony.

"In fact, the contractors at both Khandagiri and Delta Colony are not working fast enough. We have warned and have asked them to complete the job by this month," Swain said.

Till last summer, the requirement during the peak summer was 305MW, but this year power officials expect it to be anything between 320MW and 325MW.

While the city depends on the power supply from four major grids at Chandaka, Mancheswar, Kesura and Sijua, the primary sub-stations supply electricity to smaller secondary ones where the distribution transformers do it through low transmission lines, said a Cesu engineer.

To prepare for the summer, the Odisha Power Transmission Company Limited has already upgraded the main powergrid at Mendhasal on the city outskirts.

Two transformer units of 12.5MVA each at a primary sub-station near the Biju Patnaik International Airport and two more of 8MVA each at a primary substation near Kanan Vihar have already started functioning from this year.

Swain, however, said the consumers must inform the local junior engineers who are looking after the distribution transformers in a particular area before upgrading their air-conditioners or adding new ones.

Extra load on the low transmission lines might cause problem, as the entire supply line in a lane or a street would be affected by it, he said.

The senior engineer also advised the consumers to go for air-conditioners that had five-star rating of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency so that there would be less load on the supply network.

Ghatikia resident Partha Sarathi Das said: "The power supply authorities must ensure that all primary and secondary distribution transformers are upgraded before April so that the public don't face power-cuts during peak summer."

However, the temperature here is already hovering around 38°C and the meteorology department predicts that unless there is a local thunderstorm (Kalbaisakhi), the mercury is likely to rise further.