Tata Power-led Odisha discoms have restored electricity to 39.74 lakh of the 40.91 lakh consumers affected by Cyclone Arnab, over 97 per cent, within two days of the storm’s landfall on October 28, 2026.
The restoration has been led by the discoms’ linemen and field crews, who started work as soon as the winds eased. In heavy rain, across waterlogged fields and roads blocked by fallen trees, they cleared debris, replaced damaged poles and lines, and brought feeders and substations back online, often in areas cut off by flooding, a release by Tata Power said.
The cyclone brought winds gusting up to 150 km/h and more than 500 mm of rain in parts of southern Odisha, affecting 17 districts.
Restoration moved quickly because the groundwork was laid before landfall. Ahead of the cyclone, the discoms activated their Business Continuity and Disaster Management Plans, opened 24×7 control rooms and set up rapid-response teams. The network was monitored round the clock from the Power Distribution Technology Centres at Bhubaneswar and Sambalpur.
More than 29,000 personnel were readied across the state. TPSODL put 6,474 personnel in its deployment plan, with additional crews on standby. TPCODL mobilised rapid-response teams across central Odisha, TPWODL deployed 8,658 personnel in western Odisha, and TPNODL readied its field teams in the north. The discoms pre-positioned over 2,800 distribution transformers, 41,000 poles, 8,500 km of conductor, 35 mobile substations and 1,200 vehicles, and stocked materials at stores across their areas. Consumers received safety advisories before and during the storm.
TPCODL, TPNODL and TPWODL have completed 100 per cent restoration, and supply is fully back in 23 of Odisha’s 30 districts, the release said.
In southern Odisha, where the cyclone hit hardest, TPSODL has restored supply to more than 16.7 lakh consumers, over 93 per cent of those affected, across eight districts. Over 6,400 personnel are on the ground, and crews are were concentrated in Ganjam and Gajapati, the worst-hit districts, as of November 2, 2026, to restore the remaining connections.
Featured photograph shows linesmen of Tata Power Odisha’s discoms braving inclement conditions to restore power supply affected by Cyclone Arnab