SRINAGAR — The Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Department (PDD) has recently commissioned the first Gas Insulated Substation (GIS) in the State Industrial Development Corporation (SIDCO), Lassipora area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama which has given relief to locals as well the industrialists working in the area.
The first GIS of Jammu and Kashmir Power Transmission Corporation Limited (JKPTCL) in J-K has a capacity of 160 MVA and has been constructed at a cost of around 88 crores.
Gulzar Ahmad, in charge of the GIS in Lassipora, said that “this is the latest generation of the grid stations and this kind of system needs less land as compared to the old type grid stations besides that it is just like a plug and play and is less susceptible to faults.”
He added that GIS has a load of just around 70 MVA which means more than half of its capacity remains unutilized and it has helped us in decreasing power curtailment hours in most parts of Pulwama, Shopian and a few parts of Kulgam district.
Ahmad added that GIS has several advantages as it has had zero maintenance for five years and it has made Pulwama and Shopian power sufficient for around the next two decades.
“A gas-insulated substation (GIS) uses a superior dielectric gas, sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), at a moderate pressure for phase to phase and phase to ground insulation and a huge stock of this gas remains available with the department,” he added.
He said that the department is working to connect more and more areas on the GIS so that more and more people can get relief.
Ahmad added: “There might be some areas that won’t have witnessed any major change which is because of the overloaded receiving stations and the capacity of these receiving stations is being enhanced.”
He further said that such kinds of stations will be commissioned at three more places which include Khanyar, Tengpora and Batpora Harwan.
Meanwhile, locals as well as the industrialists working in the area have thanked the government for such facilities and said that unscheduled power cuts to a great extent have decreased in the area. — (KNO)