THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A 220 KV Gas Insulated Substation (GIS) will be launched exclusively for Vizhinjam international transhipment terminal on Thursday. Though the launch of the 220 KV substation was included in the 100 days programme of the LDF Government, the reality is that the KSEB does not have a direct role in it. Power is being drawn from Kattakada substation belonging to the KSEB which is a good 20 km away from Vizhinjam and is meant exclusively for Adani Port in Vizhinjam.
Power will be transmitted to the new GIS from the 220 KV Kattakada substation via a 10.2-km multi-circuit multi-voltage line and a 10.5-km 220 KV double-circuit line. The GIS220 KV Vizhinjam substation will be a dedicated substation for Adani Port. A senior KSEB official told TNIE that the role of the board in the project is that Adani will be buying power from them as an extra -high tension consumer.
“A feeder has been built at Kattakada and from there through the feeder, power will reach the Vizhinjam 220 KV gas insulated electrical substation. Adani, who is an extra - high tension consumer, will be paying KSEB for the power consumed by it through a metering mechanism as per the requisite tariff mechanism,” said a senior KSEB official.
However, the irony is that Adani Group which owns Adani Power Ltd, a power and energy company, does not have a generating station in Kerala which has led them to approach the KSEB. The Centre’s move to privatise power distribution in the country is looming large in front of the KSEB.
If so, it would see Adani Power as one of the stakeholders which is expected to pose a threat to KSEB. Another senior board official told TNIE that the advantage for them is that when a 220 KV line is established, there will not be any transmission loss. Moreover, only minimal space is required to set up GIS, compared to the conventional one.