Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi inaugurated the 320kV Pugalur – Thrissur power transmission project on Friday (19 February) which was executed by Grid Corporation of India at a cost of Rs 5,070 crore and can facilitate transfer of 2,000MW power to Kerala, the Ministry of Power said in a statement.
Speaking on the occasion, PM said that the 2000 Megawatt state of the art Pugalur – Thrissur High Voltage Direct Current system is the first HVDC interconnection of Kerala with National Grid and will facilitate transfer of huge quantum of power to meet the growing power demands of the state.
This is also the first time the VSC converter technology has been introduced in the country for transmission. He added Kerala is largely dependent on import of power from the National Grid due to its seasonal nature of internal power generation and HVDC system helps to bridge the gap.
PM expressed happiness that the HVDC equipment used in this project has been made in India and gives strength to it’s Atma Nirbhar Bharat movement.
Terming the project as a timely gift to Kerala, Power Minister R.K. Singh said “the Modi government expanded the inter-regional transmission capacity from 35,950 MW – in 2014 to 1,03,550 MW today and increased the inter-regional transmission capacity to South India from 7,250 MW in 2014 to 21,450 MW.”
While the allocation for Kerala from the central sector is 2,266 MW, its peak drawl from the National Grid has already touched 3,100 MW which is the maximum transfer capacity to Kerala. As the demand increases and it is expected to touch 5,000 MW by 2022, the capacity to transfer more power to Kerala needs to increase.
The project will enable transfer of 2,000 MW of additional power to Kerala. Out of this Kerala will be able to utilize 1,000 MW right now and draw the remaining 1,000 MW after strengthening their system for which the work is going on.
The transmission line is Voltage Source Converter based High Voltage Direct Current System, the most modern in the world and the first of its kind in India. It enables safe and faster transmission with reduced losses; facilitates smart grid; provides greater flexibility in reactive power management and also enables integration of renewable energy resources.