Industries and lakhs of households across Saurashtra and Kutch are set to benefit from a Rs 3,000 crore initiative by Paschim Gujarat Vij Company (PGVCL) aimed at tackling frequent power outages.

The three-year project spans 12 districts and focuses on replacing corroded bare conductors with medium voltage covered conductors (MVCC), a new technology in India that insulates transmission wires. The state's 700 km-long coastline across 10 districts exposes power lines to corrosion, while coconut and mango trees often obstruct supply.

Currently, electricity is transmitted through 11 KV bare conductors, which suffer frequent breakdowns. PGVCL Managing Director KP Joshi said, “Two years ago, we carried out a pilot project of MVCC in Mangrol taluka of Junagadh. The number of power disruptions came down to just one or two a month from earlier 30–35. This encouraged us to expand the project across our network.” In the first phase, tenders worth Rs 1,000 crore have been allotted, partly funded under the central government’s Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS).