The power supply situation in the southern parts of Thiruvananthapuram district appears set for a make over with the recent commissioning of a substation at Balaramapuram and the proposed upgradation of power lines and auxiliary installations from Paruthippara to Parassala.
The 66kV substation at Balaramapuram has been built to the specifications of a 110 kV substation and can be upgraded at any time, an Executive Engineer of the KSEB told The Hindu .
Down the line when the 220 kV substation under construction near Kattakada is commissioned, Balaramapuram would receive more power from that facility too. “While one 220 kV power line would go from the Kattakada facility to the Vizhinjam port, two 110 kV lines would come to Balaramapuram. There is also another proposal to draw a 110 kV line from Balaramapuram to Vizhinjam,” he added.
Meantime, the KSEB has recently accorded administrative sanction for a Rs. 47 crore scheme to upgrade the 66 kV power lines from Paruthippara to Parassala to 110 kV capacity. Under the scheme the existing substations at Neyyattinkara, Vizhinjam, Vattiyoorkkavu and Balaramapuram would be upgraded as well.
While the substations at Balaramapuram and Vattiyoorkkavu already sport 110 kV specifications, new facilities would be constructed at Neyyattinkara and Vizhinjam.
This includes a new substation yard and feeder panels.
According to the KSEB, the upgradation scheme would be executed in three ‘reaches’; Paruthippara to Thirumala, Thirumala to Neyyattinkara and Neyyattinkara to Parassala. Work on the third reach is expected to commence first.
The upgraded and new power lines and auxiliary installations, KSEB officials claim, would ensure enhanced voltage stability, more availability of power and fewer interruptions in the southern parts of the district.
“Assuming that about 50,000 consumers come under one substation, this upgradation can be safely said to be beneficial to about two lakh people in these parts,” the KSEB engineer added.
