• Investment World
• eWorld
• Brand Line
• Mentor
• Life
• Canvas
• Praxis
• Urban Pulse
• Brand Quest
• The New Manager

Stocks

• Quotes
• SE Diary
• Scoreboard
• Open-End Mutual Fund

Cross Currency

• Rates
  
  

Shipping

• Ports
  
  

Archives

• Yesterday
• Datewise
• Resources
• In Focus
• In Depth

Group Sites

• The Hindu
• The Hindu ePaper
• Business Line
• Business Line ePaper
• Sportstar
• Frontline
• The Hindu eBooks
• The Hindu Images

Anil Sasi

Under-sea transmission link with Sri Lanka proposed

New Delhi , Jan. 18

A power superhighway between India and Nepal is in the works, with an IL&FS-led team kick-starting a project in collaboration with the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) for constructing up to four dedicated 220 kV transmission lines for carrying electricity between the two countries.

While, in the short term, the link is expected to enable Nepal to sell electricity to India during the rainy season and take power from India during winter, India is actively looking at harnessing the vast hydro potential of Nepal in the long term to plug shortages in the northern parts of the country.

According to Government officials, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and IL&FS have signed a memorandum of understanding to construct up to four 220 kV transmission lines from Nepal to India utilising a $100-million line of credit extended by the Centre to the Nepal Government. An IL&FS, PTC India Ltd and PowerGrid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) team will set up the Indian side of the corridor, officials said.

The links are slated to come up at Butwal (Nepal), Gorakhpur (UP), Dhalkebar (Nepal), Muzaffarpur (Bihar), Duhabi- Purnea (Bihar) and Anarmani-Siliguri (West Bengal). Nepal currently imports a minuscule 60-70 MW of power annually from India through 11 off-take points on the border under the old Power Exchange Agreement of 1971. The proposed 220 kV lines would replace archaic 11 kV and 33 kV links in place at present, enabling exchange of substantially higher loads at much lower loss levels.

Sea network

Besides Nepal, a proposal for an under-sea transmission link is already on the anvil for connecting India and Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan Government and the Indian administration are likely to ink an agreement during the course of this year to set up a mega 200-km under-sea power transmission line between the two countries to export electricity to the island nation, officials said.

The possibility of using the proposed undersea transmission link with Sri Lanka for bringing power into India from the island nation over the long term is also being looked at, officials involved in the exercise said. The pre-feasibility report on the proposed $450-million high voltage power transmission line between the two countries has been prepared by PGCIL, which has said it can set up the link in around 40 months once all clearances are in place.

The project is expected to connect Madurai in Tamil Nadu and Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka's North Central Province and aims at carrying around 1,000 MW of power to the island nation. India has already got three 440 kV single-circuit transmission lines in pace with Bhutan as part of the 1,040 MW Tala hydroelectric power evacuation system, on which transfer of power started from August last year.

The proposal to link-up countries in the South Asian region is being seen as a forerunner to the proposed BIMSTEC power transmission network, which is under active consideration.

Related Stories:
NTPC proposal for Lanka power plant
India, Nepal to co-operate in hydropower sector
NTPC signs pact for coal-fired project in Lanka
Power link to Sri Lanka in 40 months: PowerGrid

More Stories on : Power | Foreign Relations

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Stem rust threatens wheat crop in India, Pak

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line