Khanyar Grid charged a week ago, fed from underground cable in new GIS system

Srinagar: Having 24X7 power supply, that too in old city areas of Srinagar, is even difficult dreaming about. But for more than a week now, at least four areas in the old city have been getting 24X7 power supply, at over 200 volts, something that has made locals wonder how it has been possible.
It has been made possible by the addition of 100 MVA Khanyar Grid station in the system, which is fed from a 132-KV underground cable link. Hashmet Qazi, head of the transmission wing of the Power Development Department, played a key role in adding swiftly at least five grid stations to the system in the last one-and-a-half years. He told Kashmir Reader that the Khanyar Grid was charged a week ago.
“100 MVAs added. We will relieve the Wanganpora grid. BAMK, Khathidarwaza, Lalbazaar, Soura, Bhagwaanpora could be fed from the same,” he said.
The project was started a few years ago. It has become the second GIS project to be installed by the power department itself. Earlier, it was done by Starlite, a private company, which had first installed the GIS project in Jammu and Kashmir.
Gas Insulated System is an effective system over the existing technology called the Air Insulated System. In GIS, land required for the installation of the system is almost four times lesser. It also takes less time for installation, and rarely develops short circuits, another reason for power cuts, as against the existing AIS.
Qazi said that the GIS was installed in just 5 kanals of land, at a cost of about Rs 50 cr.
Earlier the Power Development Department (PDD) had added 480 MW grid capacity to the existing system, resolving years of power shortage crisis in north Kashmir and parts of central Kashmir.
Locals in downtown Srinagar told Kashmir Reader that it was for the first time that 24X7 power supply in February has been seen. During this month power supply usually remains curtailed, often for several hours daily.
“After a long time, we have above 200 volts of power supply,” said a local resident.
This is despite the fact that there is a lot of pilferage taking place in these old city areas. Before the GIS installation, the voltage used to remain around 100 volts and the max it reached was 150 volts.

Junaid Nabi Bazaz