The Hindu Business Line : Stir threatens to block power supply in Kerala

Re-routing of the alignment will drastically increase the length of transmission line and in turn increase the cost of the project substantially, besides percentage loss due to increase in line length. This will inflate the energy cost.

Kochi , Jul 9

The ongoing agitation by the affected people in Kerala's Pathanamthitta and Kottayam districts against the 400 kV Quad D/C line for supplying power to the State from the Nuclear Power Corporation's Kudankulam Atomic Power Project to Kerala might delay the implementation of the project.

The affected people in these districts have resorted to agitation saying that the high-tension transmission line would pass through densely populated areas and long stretches of plantations, mainly of rubber and other crops.

However, according to the Standing Committee on Power System Planning in Southern Region re-routing of the alignment will drastically increase the length of transmission line and in turn increase the cost of the project substantially, besides percentage loss due to increase in line length. This will inflate the energy cost.

Besides, it said, additional involvement of forest areas would add more financial burden to the constituent State Government, rendering the project unviable in terms of techno-economical merits.

EXISTING PLAN

Under the transmission scheme, Kudankulam power will be brought to Thrissur via Kochi by establishing a new 400/220 kV substation at Kakkanad and it would be further extended up to the existing 400/200 kV substation in Thrissur.

The transmission lines will help in establishing High Capacity Transmission corridor to serve long term power requirement of Kerala and any action to deviate the route alignment at this stage will be a setback to the State to draw the centrally allocated Keala's share of power with a long-term perspective.

Environmental and social policy and procedures provides for proper compensation for the inevitable damages caused to the trees/crops, it said.

The committee at its 18th meeting held at Chennai in March had given sanction for implementing 400 kV transmission system emanating from 2,000 MW Kudankulam project to be developed in two phases.

The transmission system to be implemented by the Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCI) within Kerala has been evolved with the objective of not only minimising RoW (Right of Way) requirement in Kerala but also to maximize the utilisation of whatever little RoW is selected.

According to the report of the committee, the transmission line has been finalised after carefully studying various transmission corridors based on the joint survey carried out along with KSEB, CEA and PGCI to find out the viability of the corridors.

To reduce the RoW requirement, the RoWs of the existing Edamon-Kayathara and Idukki-Thrissur 220 kV lines of KSEB are being utilised to the extent possible by dismantling these old 220 kV transmission lines. Besides, to maximise the utilisation of RoW, transmission lines had been proposed to be constructed with high capacity `Quad' conductors instead of conventional `Twin' conductor configuration generally adopted for this voltage class.

The line route for the segment from Edamon to Kochi has been finalised in a route keeping techno-economical requirement, suiting to the different technical parameters and site conditions to be adhered while finalising the transmission line. The total length of the proposed transmission scheme from Tirunelveli to north Thrissur is 310 Kms, with a 400/220 kV substation.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has also cleared the investment approval for the establishment charges of transmission system associated with KAPP at a total cost of Rs 1,779.29 crore. Power supply would commence in December 2007.

The geographical conditions are quite unique in Kerala having cash crops spread across the length and breadth with dense population and settlement. This makes its invariably difficult to finalise any transmission line corridor without damaging some of the trees and crops coming in the line route. Adequate care is taken while selecting the most techno economical route for implementation. However, some damages are inevitable for execution of any projects of this nature.

Adequate compensation to plantations and crops damaged will be paid within the norms and provisions available, it said.

The construction works of all the schemes associated with first phase of evacuation of power from the Kudankulam project have already begun and are in full swing to match with the schedule committed to the Union Government, which is mid-2007.

According to Mr N.K. Sukumaran Nair, General Secretary, Pampa Parirakshana Samithi, who is also a former engineer with the KSEB, "the proposed 400 kV transmission line is essential to ensure sustainable power supply to Kerala from the national grid."

He said that the present Udumelpet-Thrissur 400 kV lines are the lone route through which the State presently received electricity from the national grid and hence the proposed Kudankulam-Thrissur line would also act as an alternative route to bring power from outside in the event of a technical snag in the existing system. Therefore, he said, "if the agitation continues, the PGCI will find it difficult to extend the proposed 400 kV lines to Madakkathara in Thrissur that houses the only 400 kV substation in the State before the commissioning of the KAPP in late 2007.

The State, he said, receives a total of 1,042 MW of power from national grid and the State has to depend on the national grid to meet not less than 55 per cent of its power requirements.

Considering the importance of establishing this transmission system, he urged the government as well as the political parties to step in to convince the agitating public about the need for implementing the project. They should "instead of supporting the agitation, ensure payment of adequate compensation to the affected people", added.

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