800 KV HVDC plant in Vadodara to aid power-starved states: Anandiben Patel.

The setting up of a 800 KV HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current) convertor transformer plant in the city will come to the rescue of many power-starved states which can now borrow electricity from the surplus in Gujarat, said Chief Minister Anandiben Patel recently.

She was speaking after inaugurating country's first Made In India advanced Ultra Transformer plant of Alstom BSE 1.75 % T&D India on the outskirts of the city late last evening.

This HVDC transformer will help transmission of power to power-starved states, she said adding Gujarat's total installed capacity of power is 22524 MW.

In the past, states like Delhi facing a problem of severe capacity shortage had approached Gujarat for supplying power but it was not then in a position to do so due to non availability of HVDC for transmission of power from one state to another, the CM said.

Patel also said that one lakh farm connections will be given to farmers in the state for which a provision of Rs. 1158 crore is made in the Gujarat budget for 2015-16.

She said a sum of Rs. 2073 crores will be spent for laying of 2500 kms of transmission lines and setting up of 100 electric sub stations across the state for supplying qualitative power to people staying in remote areas.

About Rs 28 crores will be spent for giving power connections to 42700 BPL families in the state, she added.

In his speech, Rathin Basu country president , Alstom India and South Asia said, 'Hvdc is increasingly the preferred choice for utilities to ensure efficient, reliable bulk power transmission over long distance.

Alstom grid is a major supplier of turnkey HVDC solutions worldwide. In India, Alstom has supplied HVDC system for Vizag ( Andhra Pradesh) Chandrapur (Maharashtra) Sasaram ( Bihar) and is currently constructing the phase I and II 800 kv champa -kurukshetra link, he said.


ET