National grid capacity to increase 21 per cent next month

New Delhi, Apr 11 (UNI) The capacity of the national grid will increase 21 per cent next month from 13,700 MW to 16,700 MW, a move that will enhance the movement of electricity to energy strapped areas of the country.

The spurt in the capacity of the National Grid was triggered off with the recently commissioned high capapcity 765 KV Bina -Gwalior-Agra and 400 KV Kahalgaon-Patna-Balia-Lucknow transmission lines through which the National Grid capacity has been increased to 13,700 MWs.

''They are likely to increase further the national grid capacity to 16,700 MWs by May 2007 and 18,400 MW by December 2007,'' sources in Power Ministry said.

Power Ministry sources said these transmission lines have commissioned four months ahead of schedule which is a big achievement by the PowerGrid Corporation after it had successfully interconnected four of the five grids of the country on August 26 last year with the launch of the synchronised alternating current (AC) interconnection of the northern, north-eastern, eastern and western regions.

With the new synchronisation, 90,000 mw of power can now be wheeled to the regions every day, and it also promises to deliver 2,500 mw of power to north India.

Power minister Sushilkumar Shinde has congratulated the PowerGrid Corporation's team for commissioning of these transmission lines on March 31.

The transmission scheme is a vital link of high capacity AC ring interconnecting northern, western and eastern region.

Agra-Gwalior-Bina is the first high capacity 765 kV inter-regional link and provides direct synchronous interconnection between northern and western region thereby strongly connecting both the regions.

Sources said this would improve parameters and enhance the security of national grid through efficient management of demand and supply on real time basis. This transmission scheme would provide power transfer capacity of more than 1,200 MW during its initial operation, which would be enhanced to 2,000 MW with upgradation to 765 kV level by 2012.

The Agra-Gwalior-Bina line would enable in meeting present and long term power requirement of western and northern regions and establishes the much needed direct link.

The 400 kv Kahalgaon-Patna-Balia-Lucknow connects major generation complex in eastern region with load centres of northern region which would enable in meeting the present as well as long term demand of northern region.

UNI