New transmission corridor to boost power sector

New transmission corridor to boost power sector

The sector has seen a change equivalent to installation of a new 500 MW power station

KOCHI: The commissioning of the Edamon-Kochi corridor in the Tirunelveli-Madakkathara inter-state power transmission corridor has brought a drastic change in the electricity sector of the state.

The power sector of the state has seen a change equivalent to the installation of a new 500 MW power station. In a Facebook post, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said after charging the line, the voltage has increased by 2 kV in Palakkad, Kochi and Kottayam. “Earlier, there was an apprehension that the entire state will be deprived of power if the Udumalpet-Palakkad line is damaged. However, now there is no need for apprehension anymore. It also helped us to sort out issues related to power transmission from other states during crisis,” said Vijayan.

The Edamon-Kochi 400 kV DC transmission system traverses through four districts - Kollam (22km), Pathanamthitta (47km), Kottayam (95km) and Ernakulam (28km). Due to the non-commissioning of Edamon-Kochi power transmission line, Kerala’s share of power from Kudankulam Nuclear Power Station was routed through Kudankulam-Tirunelveli-Udumalpet-Madakkathara 400 kV lines. This route is 250km longer compared to the Tirunelveli-Edamon-Kochi-Madakkathara stretch resulting in additional transmission loss.

A total of 447 towers were needed for the Edamon-Kochi stretch. “Out of the total towers, 351 of them were completed in the past three years. Only 21.5 per cent was completed during the 2011-16 period. Lines needed to be drawn for 148.3km. As much as 93 per cent of lines was also drawn during the tenure of the LDF government,” said the chief minister. The Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) launched the work of the Tirunelveli-Madakkathara project in 2008 with the deadline of 2010. The Tirunelveli-Edamon portion was completed in 2010 and the Madakkathara (Thrissur)-Kochi (Pallikkara) component the following year. However, the remaining work on the Edamon-Kochi stretch was stalled due to the objection of people living in the area through which the transmission line passes through.

“The state government took every possible step for resolving the issues with the people and after holding discussions with them, it was able to carry the project forward,” said Vijayan. According to KSEB officials, the new power transmission network helps in increasing the power import capacity of the state by 800 MW. It is also possible now to bring in power to Kerala from any part of India.

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