The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : 500 MW more power for southern States from Vizag facility

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 31, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

500 MW more power for southern States from Vizag facility

By T. Ramakrishnan

CHENNAI, DEC. 30 . The southern States will avail themselves of 500 megawatt (MW) more power from the middle of January, with the commissioning of one more high-voltage direct current (HVDC) back-to-back facility at Gazuwaka, near Vishakapatnam, in two weeks.

At present, the capacity of the Gazuwaka-Vijayawada-Nellore-Sriperumpudur line is 500 MW, R.P. Singh, Chairman-cum-Managing Director of the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited, told The Hindu .

(Gazuwaka is in turn linked to Jeypore, Orissa, and the network involving all the places facilitates transmission of power from the eastern States to the southern States).

The improvement to the regional grid was carried out at a cost of Rs. 800 crores. With the doubling of the line, the capacity of the national grid would go up to 9,500 MW.

Besides, the Central utility was extending transmission lines from the Ramagundam power station in Andhra Pradesh to Neelamangalam, near Mysore. Work in the Ramagundam-Hyderabad-Gooti section was completed.

The stretch between Gooti and Neelamangalam would be covered by January. This would benefit Tamil Nadu, apart from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

The corporation was keen on improving intra-State transmission and distribution networks. It was implementing projects worth Rs.1, 800 crores in Bihar. Other States which made use of its services were Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Orissa and Goa.

Emphasising that States should go in for high-voltage distribution systems, Mr. Singh cited the example of Bangalore, where a one-per cent reduction in transmission loss was achieved about a year ago and it meant a saving of Rs. 290 crores.

Telecommunication schemes

The corporation, which had laid 20,000-km of overhead optical groundwire (fibre) lines along its tranmission towers, was now carrying out intra-city connections. All major telecommunication service providers, including Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, were making use of its infrastructure. "Already, we have earned Rs. 50 crores," he said.

Asked whether his organisation would launch a retail venture, Mr Singh said the priority now was to stabilise "what we have been doing." The corporation would enter the retail market after five or six years.

Relief measures

Employees of the corporation decided to support relief measures in the Tsunami-hit States.

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