‘Project to give additional energy import pathway to Kashmir’
Auqib Salam
The 567 MW Wanpoh-Mirbazar transmission line, on which the work is going on, is all set to be completed by year end. The line will give an additional energy import source to the Valley, officials said.
The officials said that the PMDP project shall ensure stability and reliability in the event other power import pathways fail during heavy snowfalls.
“The project has been in the pipeline for a long time but finally we are all set to complete it. The line will help us tap power from PGCIL’s new Wanpoh grid. So far due to the lack of connectivity via transmission line we were unable to tap the power from this source, but very soon we will be able to do it,” an official said.
“During winters in case there were faults or damage to other sources, there was no standby alternative source. However, after this project, we will be having 567 MW additional import capacity. This will give us a breather especially during winters when transmission infrastructure is prone to damage,” he said.
Presently, Kashmir power department has three sources to import energy. They are:
Kishanpur-Pampore transmission line, Amargarh-Zainakot and Wagura-Kishanpur. The new Wanpoh-Mirbazar line will add to these sources.
JKPTCL Chief Engineer, Hashmat Qazi told Greater Kashmir that the project is all set to be completed by the end of December. Qazi said that once completed, the transmission line will be a major step towards reliability in the power transmission infrastructure.
“We are speeding up that work so that we will have a more reliable and stable transmission infrastructure in place before we enter harsh winters,” he said.