THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A capital city free of power outages could soon turn out to be a reality. Uninterrupted power supply being critical to a smarter and busier state capital, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has a bevy of projects on the cards to meet the projected demand.
Topping the list is a Rs 33.5 crore, 110 kV gas-insulated substation (GIS) at Kowdiar meant to improve the reliability of electric supply in the Thiruvananthapuram city region. Having the distinction of being the first GIS in the district, the facility is expected to be completed in 2019-20, according to the Capital Investment Plan (CIP) of the KSEB for the 2018-2022 period.
“Overall load is generally expected to increase with major projects like the Vizhinjam port, Light Metro and airport development on the cards. Besides, the city is expanding with the development of townships in the suburbs. The number of apartments are also increasing,” Brijlal V, Chief Engineer (Transmission - South) said.
While power supply to the capital city and the rest of Thiruvananthapuram district has improved vastly in the last decade, there still exists gaps which the KSEB hopes to ‘fill’ with the new projects. The GIS proposal at Kowdiar involves installing two 12.5 MVA 110/11kV transformers and laying underground cables from the 110 kV substation, Paruthippara, to the proposed facility.
KSEB also has three other projects in the pipeline for the 2018-2022 period to strengthen the power transmission system in Thiruvananthapuram district. A Rs 16 crore project for upgrading the 66 kV substation at Palode to 110 kV is on the cards for improving supply in the north-east regions of the district. This project is expected to be commissioned in 2019-2020.
The two remaining proposals involve the upgradation of facilities to improve supply in the southern areas of the district (Rs 54 crore) and the construction of a Rs 22.18 crore, 110 kV switching cum substation at Panthalacode for improving the transmission system in and around Thiruvananthapuram district. Both projects are expected to be commissioned in 2020-21.
Gas-insulated substation
So what exactly is the advantage of having a Gas-insulated substation? The cost is higher compared to a conventional substation, but it takes up considerably less space and is ideal for cities and towns where space comes at a premium. Moreover, since its components are kept in a sealed environment, they are protected from deterioration, keeping maintenance costs at bay.
Substation development
110 kV Gas-insulated substation at Kowdiar:
B33.5 cr
Upgradation of 66 kV substation Palode to 110KV:
B16 cr
Upgradation of TVT No.1 and 2 feeders:
B54 cr
Construction of 110KV switching cum substation at Panthalacode:
B22.18 cr