It looks like the efforts of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) in allaying transmission woes in Ernakulam district will pay off. If all goes well, the power crisis will be tackled soon. Of the total Rs 1521.45 crore allotted for 2013-14, the board is using Rs 293 crore for transmission and Rs 800 crore for distribution maintenance work in the state.
The rest of the amount will be distributed for generation, Rs 419.45 crore, and other works, Rs 9 crore. Work in as many as 237 units is progressing in Kalamassery, Thrissur and Thodupuzha transmission circles, which covers the district, to reduce transmission problems in the district.
The estimated cost for the project is around Rs 27 crore – Rs 5 crore in Thodupuzha circle, Rs 21.57 crore in Kalamassery and Rs 50 lakh in Thrissur circle. About 60 per cent of the total cost for the maintenance work has been allotted in the annual plan for this fiscal and the work is expected to be completed in 2013-14. The total outlay for transmission capital work for 2013-14 is Rs 293 crore, of which Rs 273 crore is for transmission work and Rs 20 crore is for system operation work.
“The transmission loss is creating a lot of worry for customers in the industrial district of Ernakulam. The KSEB is trying its best to put an end to the problems related to power transmission.
Transmission plan for 2013- 14 has been prepared with the objective of catering to the additional transmission requirements and system strengthening. Sufficient provision has been given for all ongoing works and projects scheduled for completion during 2013- 14,” a KSEB official said.
It is learnt that a separate maintenance plan was prepared for transmission as part of the planning exercise. In Kalamassery transmission circle alone, which covers a major portion of the district, KSEB is carrying out 178 transmission maintenance works this fiscal. An amount of Rs 9.6 crore was allotted for all the projects in this circle alone.
At a time when the state is exploring various options in power generation proper distribution and transmission of electricity is very crucial, experts point out. It is estimated that the power demand projected for the state by 2017 is 4669 Mega Watt (MW). At present, the demand is 3348 MW and the availability from all sources, including the Central pool, is only 3312 MW.