Bangalore city may switch over to underground power cables in five years

Bangalore city may switch over to underground power cables in five years

Special Correspondent

City has about 6,950 km of high tension lines and 14,000 km of low tension lines

Overhead lines will reduce number of interruptions in power supply

BANGALORE: Bangalore city may become free from the overhead electric lines which not only spoil the aesthetics by criss-crossing the aerial space, but also pose a threat to the safety of people.

The Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) on Monday volunteered to provide loan assistance to the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company and the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) to lay underground power cables. The KPTCL has expressed interest in taking up the project, which is estimated to cost about Rs 5,000 crore and require about five years for implementation.

Addressing presspersons here on Monday, REC Chairman and Managing Director Anil Kumar Lakhina said he had told Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and Energy Minister H.D. Revanna that his organisation was ready to provide the necessary funding if a project was taken up to replace overhead power lines with the underground cables in the city.

He said the REC would immediately consider if the KPTCL forwarded a proposal in this regard to it. KPTCL Managing Director and chairman of Energy supplying companies Bharatlal Meena said a proposal would be sent to the REC soon.

While the exact cost of the project was yet to be worked out, it was likely to cost about Rs 5,000 crore, he said and noted that it could be implemented in about five years. To begin with the high tension lines would be replaced with underground cables.
Power supply

Mr. Meena said that replacing overhead power lines would result in reducing the number of interruptions in power supply due to falling of trees, overturning of poles and snapping of power conductors. Such a step would go a long way in improving the electrical safety and reducing electrocutions.

Mr. Lakhina said that it was possible to reduce the energy losses by switching over to underground cables. However, sources in the KPTCL argued that the scope for further reduction of energy losses was not huge in Bangalore as the city’s energy loss of 9 per cent was the least in the country.

Sources said that Bangalore had about 6,950 km of high tension lines and about 14,000 km of low tension lines.

Nearly 40 per cent of the HT lines and 500 km of LT lines had been replaced by underground cables.

It would cost about Rs. 35 lakh for laying a km of HT underground cable and Rs. 18 lakh for a km of LT line Bangalore city may switch over to underground power cables in five years

Special Correspondent

City has about 6,950 km of high tension lines and 14,000 km of low tension lines

Overhead lines will reduce number of interruptions in power supply

BANGALORE: Bangalore city may become free from the overhead electric lines which not only spoil the aesthetics by criss-crossing the aerial space, but also pose a threat to the safety of people.

The Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) on Monday volunteered to provide loan assistance to the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company and the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) to lay underground power cables. The KPTCL has expressed interest in taking up the project, which is estimated to cost about Rs 5,000 crore and require about five years for implementation.

Addressing presspersons here on Monday, REC Chairman and Managing Director Anil Kumar Lakhina said he had told Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and Energy Minister H.D. Revanna that his organisation was ready to provide the necessary funding if a project was taken up to replace overhead power lines with the underground cables in the city.

He said the REC would immediately consider if the KPTCL forwarded a proposal in this regard to it. KPTCL Managing Director and chairman of Energy supplying companies Bharatlal Meena said a proposal would be sent to the REC soon.

While the exact cost of the project was yet to be worked out, it was likely to cost about Rs 5,000 crore, he said and noted that it could be implemented in about five years. To begin with the high tension lines would be replaced with underground cables.
Power supply

Mr. Meena said that replacing overhead power lines would result in reducing the number of interruptions in power supply due to falling of trees, overturning of poles and snapping of power conductors. Such a step would go a long way in improving the electrical safety and reducing electrocutions.

Mr. Lakhina said that it was possible to reduce the energy losses by switching over to underground cables. However, sources in the KPTCL argued that the scope for further reduction of energy losses was not huge in Bangalore as the city’s energy loss of 9 per cent was the least in the country.

Sources said that Bangalore had about 6,950 km of high tension lines and about 14,000 km of low tension lines.

Nearly 40 per cent of the HT lines and 500 km of LT lines had been replaced by underground cables.

It would cost about Rs. 35 lakh for laying a km of HT underground cable and Rs. 18 lakh for a km of LT line