May 28, 2014

In a bid to augment the power transmission network to meet the increasing demand for power, Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd. (KPTCL) finalised a mega plan to take up 244 system improvement works at a cost of Rs. 5,100 crore.

The plan, which was finalised by KPTCL’s board of directors at its meeting, includes setting up of 1,320 km of 400 kV double circuit lines at a cost of Rs. 3,000 crore to link the upcoming power generating stations, system improvement works in Bangalore at a cost of Rs. 2,027 crore and setting up an exclusive ‘green corridor’ to evacuate non-conventional power from wind and solar plants.

Plans were afoot to build a 160-km transmission line at a cost of Rs. 100 crore to link the Salem-Tumkur-Kudgi-Kolhapur transmission line being built by Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. so that the State would have access to power from the northern grid, he said.

The proposed green energy corridor for evacuating non-conventional energy at a cost of Rs. 1,100 crore would be supported by a German agency and the Union government in the form of soft loans to the extent of 40 per cent each, while the State would bear only 20 per cent of the project cost.

The power transmission network in Bangalore city is also set to be upgraded at a cost of Rs. 2,027 crore.