Thousand MW transmission line set to quell Kashmir’s power paucity this month

JK Govt. requires more time to receive additional electricity, says infrastructure yet not ready

JK Govt. requires more time to receive additional electricity, says infrastructure yet not ready

Srinagar, Dec 12 (KNS): A Mumbai-based electric transmission development company, Sterlite Power, is completing the 1,000 MWs transmission line, spread over 400 kilometres from Jammu’s Samba to Kashmir’s Sopore, by the end of this month. The project will bring un-interrupted electricity supplies to the power starved state.
However, the government sources reveal that it would take state a little bit more time to augment its infrastructure to cope with the additional power.
According to the reports received by KNS, the company has almost completed its transmission line-Northern Region System Strengthening 29 (NRSS 29) project-from Samba in Jammu to Amargarh in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
However, sources within the power department reveal that the state is still ill-equipped to deal with such a vital project. “We don’t have the system yet in place that has the capacity to receive additional power. It will take more time for the state to equip itself for receiving supply from the transmission which is supplying additional 1000MWs of power to the state,” sources divulged.
For the project in question, the JK government could find itself in a tight spot as the central government is keen in implementing the project in the state without any delay. “The central government has invested 4200 crore rupees in the project so that the people in Jammu and Kashmir could have an uninterrupted power supplies throughout the year. However, if the state government fails to implement it on time, it will lead to disgruntlement,” says an official.
The power requirement in the State is met from the generation from allocated share from central generating stations, their own power plants and power purchased from market. The peak demand of J&K during the current year (April to October, 2017) was 2,768 MW and the demand met was 2214 MW, thus, leaving shortfall of around 554 MW (i.e 20%). At present, around 70% of the energy requirement is being met from Central Generating Stations in the State.
The allocation of power to J&K from Central Generating Stations (CGS) is 2,397 MW. The supply from CGS includes power stations of NTPC, NHPC, SJVNL, NPCIL, NLC, etc.
Pertinently, the Prime Minister in the year 2015 hadv pledged to bring power to 18,452 unelectrified villages within 1,000 days in his August 2015 Independence Day national address. As of Oct. 31, electricity had reached 15,218 or 82 percent of those villages. In Jammu and Kashmir, 100 out of 134 villages, encompassing 270,000 households, lacking electricity were still waiting to be connected. (KNS)
 

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