Absence of long-term planning by the Southern States contributed to the inadequate transmission capacity linking the southern electrical grid to the rest of the national grid and the resulting power shortage in the region, according to R.P. Sasmal, Director Operations, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL).
A few years back when PGCIL had consulted with the State Governments on investing in transmission lines, most of the authorities had said the power was surplus and there had been suggestions for a ‘reverse flow’ from Bangalore to Talcher.
But what is “the situation today?” he asked. Policy makers need to plan 10 years ahead, he said.
Addressing the inaugural of Alstom T&D manufacturing centre for making digital equipment for electrical substations, he said trained manpower is needed with grid infrastructure increasingly using digital equipment and information technology.
PGCIL is spending over Rs 20,000-25,000 crore annually in transmission infrastructure for the next five years. PGCIL is partnering with Alstom on a range of projects.
For instance, the National Transmission Asset Management System that envisages operating over 192 substations through remote control. Experts in cyber security are needed to ensure that the system is not breached. S.N. Subrahmanyan, Senior Executive Vice-President, L&T, said electricity utilities are not pushing for increased connectivity. There are pockets of surplus power generation that can be exploited to address shortages elsewhere. But increased coordination is needed, he said.
Automation centre
The Alstom’s Digital Substation Automation Competence Centre inaugurated today has a capacity to produce about 3 lakh relays and 3,000 automation panels annually for the domestic and export markets, said Rathin Basu, Managing Director, Alstom T&D.