Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh has prepared a long-term power transmission roadmap to support the rapidly expanding data centre ecosystem in and around Visakhapatnam, with power demand likely to reach nearly 15GW over the next decade.
Reviewing the plans through a video conference from Vidyut Soudha on Wednesday, special chief secretary (energy) K. Vijayanand said the state was creating power infrastructure to attract investments in hyperscale data centres, artificial intelligence facilities, cloud computing hubs and other digital services.
Senior officials from APTransco, the IT department, APIIC, APEPDCL and APEDB attended the review meeting.
Vijayanand said Visakhapatnam is emerging as a major digital infrastructure hub, with companies including Google, Reliance, Tata Consultancy Services’ HyperVault, CtrlS and GMR showing interest in establishing facilities in the region.
According to APTransco estimates, 16 large data centre projects are at various stages of development. These projects would generate an IT power load of about 9.1GW, while total demand, including supporting infrastructure and international operational requirements, is projected to touch nearly 15GW by 2036-37.
To meet the requirement, APTransco has drawn up a phased transmission strategy involving a 765 kV, 400 kV and 220 kV network linking key substations at Pendurthi, Maradam, Achyutapuram, Palasa, Padmanabham and Makavaripalem.
The network is designed to support more than 15 GW of data centre load by 2034, with provision for future expansion.
A key component of the plan is the proposed Rambilli Data Centre Cluster, where a new 400/220 kV substation and dedicated transmission corridors will be developed. Similar infrastructure has been proposed for emerging hubs at Tarluvada, Mudasarlova, Polepalli and Chinnipalem.
Describing the initiative as an “Infrastructure First” strategy, Vijayanand said the government was expanding transmission capacity ahead of demand to ensure reliability, investor confidence and long-term growth. He said the sector was expected to generate substantial employment opportunities and strengthen Andhra Pradesh’s position as a major digital infrastructure destination.
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