Power infrastructure in Kashmir gets big boost of 480 MW

Power infrastructure in Kashmir gets big boost of 480 MW

Srinagar: Better late than never, perhaps, that at the end of one of the harshest winters in recent years in Kashmir, the Power Development Department (PDD) has added 480 MWs grid capacity to the existing system, resolving years of power shortage crisis in north Kashmir and parts of central Kashmir.
Chief Engineer, Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation, Kashmir, Hashmat Qazi told Kashmir Reader that more than a month ago, three long-standing projects were completed. This will mostly resolve the problem in north Kashmir, he said, where the peak demand in winter was 600 MW. Now the department can supply up to 480 MWs.
“The augmentation of Delina had a cascading effect on many areas. Apart from north, parts of Badgam too have been supplied more energy,” he said.
A local from Beerwah, in central Kashmir’s Budgam district, told Kashmir Reader that for a month now, the power supply has been enhanced, making it possible to light homes for longer periods than earlier.
Qazi said that the Lassipora project, too, is complete, and another project which is set for completion. “Many hundred MWs will definitely be added this summer,” he said.
It will be Qazi’s fourth completed project in one-and-a-half year since he took over the transmission wing of PDD. As soon as he assumed charge, he completed Alsteng, a project that had been delayed for years.
By the addition of this capacity, Kashmir’s problems will be resolved mostly at the transmission level. From 1250 MWs transmission capacity, Kashmir will now have over 2300 MWs, in just a span of one-and-a-half year, making it short of only a few hundred MWs, Qazi said.
The added transmission projects include the 50 MVA 132/33 KV GIS grid Tengpora station, the132 KVA DC Wanganpora-Khanyar, and the 132 KV TL Mir Baxar to Qazigund RaiÎway Station. The 220/33 KV 160 MVA GIS substation Batpora-Tailbal will be added this year.
Kashmir’s years-old problem of power outage in winters is mostly because the power is not evenly distributed. While central Kashmir and parts of south Kashmir have efficient power supply, north Kashmir and some areas in Srinagar face frequent power cuts due to the insufficient power systems in place.
Another senior engineer told Kashmir Reader that now bottlenecks are at the distribution lines, whose completion will solve the power issues to a large extent.

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