The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : KSEB plans higher capital investment

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Monday, Jan 21, 2008
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

KSEB plans higher capital investment

Special Correspondent

Stalled Athirappilly project to get going

Rs.279.65 crore for ongoing power generation schemes
Four lakh new service connections to be given

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) plans to increase its capital spending from Rs.956 crore this financial year to Rs.1,146 crore in 2008-09, according to a statement it has submitted to the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission (KSERC).

Ongoing power generation works will get a sum of Rs.279.65 crore in 2008-09. These include the Kuttiady additional extension scheme (Rs.66.50 crore), Pallivasal extension scheme (Rs.50 crore) and Athirappilly scheme (Rs.104 crore).

Works connected with the 163-MW Athirappilly hydroelectric scheme, which could not get started for over 10 years due to court cases following certain apprehensions among environmental groups, will begin in a big way in 2008-09.

The KSEB plans to complete the project as fast as possible to help ease the pressure on energy demand in the State.

The capital outlay for works connected with new hydroelectric schemes that are under various stages of the tendering process is Rs.111.09 crore.

The KSEB is setting apart Rs.20 crore as its share of the paid-up capital of a new company being set up for coal exploration in Baitarani West in Orissa.

The Gujarat Power Corporation and Orissa Hydro Power Corporation are the other partners of this company being formed during the year to mine a block with over 600 million tonnes of coal deposits allotted jointly to Kerala, Gujarat and Orissa by the Union Ministry for Coal.

The coal available from this field can keep a 1,000-MW thermal power plant running for over 40 years.

The KSEB is yet to decide on whether to set up such a power plant in Baitarani itself or bring the coal to Kerala for feeding a new project here.

Of the total capital outlay for 2008-09, the allocation for generation sector is Rs.540.52 crore, transmission sector Rs.181 crore, distribution sector Rs.419.52 crore and other works Rs.5.05 crore.

In the transmission sector, new works to be taken up include 220 kV lines along a stretch of 18.6 km, 110 kV sub-stations at 11 places along with 134.8 km of associated lines and 66 kV sub-stations at four places along with 309 km of associated lines.

A major agenda in the distribution sector is to give 4 lakh new service connections. Drawing 11 kV lines along a length of nearly 3,000 km too will be done to strengthen the power distribution network. Nearly 2,000 distribution transformers and 6,000 km of low-tension lines are also among the works being undertaken in the distribution sector.

Six lakh new meters will be bought by the KSEB during the year to replace faulty ones.

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