As peak demand rises, KPTCL begins infrastructure upgrade

Power demand surpasses 10,000 MW for the first time

The confident claim by Electricity Supply Companies (Escoms) – “We have enough power” – comes in the backdrop of frequent power cuts. “Transmission constraints” and “overload” often figure among the reasons mentioned by Escoms for the conspicuously intermittent supply of power.

With the demand for electricity always on the rise — the year-on-year increase in peak demand is minimum 5% — the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd. (KPTCL) is now expanding and upgrading its infrastructure to accommodate the annual increase.

For the first time

Coincidentally, this year, the peak demand crossed 10,000 MW for the first time. “It reached 10,400 MW this year (from January to date), opposed to the 9,000 MW last summer,” said H. Nagesh, Director (Transmission), KPTCL. As much as 50% of this demand is from Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom), and half of Bescom’s demand is from Bengaluru, he added.

Though the power transmission corporation maintained that the State has enough power this summer, despite the dip in hydro-electricity levels, it is getting the available power to reach its destination that has increasingly been the challenge. Apart from existing resources such as Raichur Thermal Power Station and the Bellary Thermal Power Station, power is also expected from the Yeramarus and Kudgi plants.

The KPTCL is looking at three aspects. One being, 40 new sub-stations will be added this year to ensure that existing stations are not overloaded. On this list are two new 400 kV stations in Bengaluru near Devanahalli Hardware Park and Mylasandra near Electronics City. The city already has three 400 kV stations at Somanahalli, Hoodi and Nelamangala. Apart from these, 220 kV stations have been proposed at HBR Layout and Sahakarnagar. Establishment of other 220 kV stations are under process at ITI near K.R. Puram, Kumbalgod and Brundavan (Peenya).

Additional transmission lines spanning 885 circuit km have also been proposed for the present fiscal, while augmentation (enhancement of capacity) of 75 stations is also on the cards.

Last year, the KPTCL added 28 sub-stations of various voltage classes (220 kV, 110 kV, 66 kV), while 50 stations were augmented and 860 circuit km of transmission lines were added.

Issue in Bengaluru

In the State capital, what have been identified as “problem areas” include parts of south Bengaluru, Peenya-Byadarahalli, and Hebbal-ITI, where works have already been commissioned, KPTCL officials said.

However, a major problem cited in Bengaluru, where the cost of land is very high, is getting the right of way to set up infrastructure. “If we want to put up a tower on private land, they start asking for very high compensation in Bengaluru, which we cannot afford,” an official said. One way of tackling the problem would be setting up gas insulated sub-stations instead of regular ones as they take up lesser space, officials added.

Solar, wind energy pick up

The State has been able to gain from sources of renewable energy such as solar and wind energy this year. As much as 472 MW of solar power has been added to the grid this year out of the installed capacity of 1,059 MW. Generation from wind too has picked up, officials said, adding that 1,980 MW (peak availability) of the 3,798 MW of installed capacity was being added to generation of electricity.