With several large commercial establishments applying for new connections in VGTM region in the wake of announcement of the new Capital, the A.P Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (SPDCL) and the APTransco are gearing up to meet the imminent rise in demand for power.
On top of their agenda is the construction of a 132/33 KV Gas-Insulated Substation (GIS) with 31.5 Million Volt Amperes (MVA) capacity (scalable to 50 MVA) in Vijayawada city and new 132 KV sub-stations at Nagarjuna University, Bhavanipuram, Amaravathi, Thullur and Tadepalli.
These installations will be fed by transmission lines linking NTTPS and Vemagiri to Srisailam.
Estimated to cost Rs 100 crore, the GIS is considered the best option compared to the conventional ones due to its safety features and the relatively less space required by it.
The SPDCL and AP-Transco are therefore following it up seriously for keeping pace with the growing demand.
Another significant proposal pertains to laying underground cables in the entire Thullur mandal and providing similar facility in other places where the Capital is likely to come up, in a phased manner. Underground cabling across the coastal belt is to be taken up in the due course after the complex issues involved in it, particularly funding, are sorted out.The total capacity addition sought to be made in the immediate future is 500 MW according to official sources. The Chief Engineers (Construction) of SPDCL and Transco have taken stock of the existing infrastructure and recommended up-gradation wherever required.
The demand has been registering a steady growth of at least 25 MW every year in Vijayawada thus mandating speedy augmentation of capacity and network expansion. This and other important matters will be discussed at a high-level meeting of SPDCL and Transco scheduled to be held in Vijayawada on November 24.
Sources said the outcome of these deliberations will shape up the projects lined up for the Capital region.
