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Lessons on Coastal Resilience from Odisha, India
Implementing Partner: Build Change
Project Name: Developing power sector resilience to extreme weather events: A coastal resilience project in Odisha, India
CDRI’s power sector resilience project strengthens Odisha’s electricity infrastructure along its 480+ km coastline, protecting transmission and distribution networks (765 KV to 11 KV) from extreme weather events.
The project delivers a robust, scalable methodology for assessing and fortifying power networks in cyclone and flood-prone coastal regions worldwide.
Through resilience risk assessment, updated codes, risk-informed governance, and capacity building, its recommendations reduce outages, socio-economic losses, and ensure uninterrupted power, setting a benchmark for resilient infrastructure across India and other vulnerable coastal regions globally.
Collaboration:
- Government of Odisha
20 km of the coast
from high winds
Impact
1
In Odisha: The implementation of CDRI recommendations is guiding the evaluation of new power utility proposals, including those from Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited. To support upgrades for disaster resilient infrastructure, special financial packages have been requested from the central government.
2
In India: The project has enhanced power sector governance in India by informing the Central Electricity Authority’s Disaster Management Guidelines, operationalizing the Disaster Resource Inventory portal for swift resource mobilization, and establishing SOPs for renewable energy utilities and projects.
3
Global impact: The Odisha study offers a strategic roadmap for prioritizing resource allocation to strengthen power infrastructure resilience. Its replicable methodology and policy recommendations on design codes, technology, innovation, and regulations can be adapted to safeguard other vulnerable coastal regions.
4
Global impact: The study was featured in the ‘Compendium of Good Practices on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (DRI)’ under the G20 Brazilian Presidency’s Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group, showcasing its valuable contributions to strengthening global power infrastructure resilience against disasters.
