Sterlite Power has upgraded the capacity of 132 kv Hatia-Kamdara (61.6 km) transmission line in Jharkhand and delivered the project 5 months ahead of the scheduled completion date.
A company statement said the transmission lines were upgraded as the Kamdara substation was choking under excess load, leading to massive outages in nearby rural areas.
“Continuous outages in Karra, Kamdara and Gumla have been a longstanding issue in this area. Finding an effective solution was of paramount importance. This line will help the State of Jharkhand provide reliable access to power in the region and further its roll-out of the Saubhagya scheme,” Manish Agarwal, CEO at Sterlite Power – Solutions Business, said.
Kamdara substation receives its power through the single circuit Hatia-Kamdara line and transmits it to Gumla and Railway load.
A newly electrified railway track running from Ranchi to Rourkela also drew power from the same substation, leading to a massive increase in load. Consequently, peak time power surges would cause power outages in the prime tribal areas of Jharkhand, like Karra, Kamdara & Gumla.
“There was an urgent need to upgrade power transfer capacity along this line so that the power transmission requirements of these areas could be met. The solution used to address this issue was a combination of optical ground wire along with high performance conductors to make the power system robust,” the statement said.