Ludhiana gets state's first 66kV line on monopoles

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, June 12

In a first-of-its-kind initiative, Power Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO inaugurated Punjab’s first 66kV line on monopoles at the GT Road here.

Game changer

Power Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO said this project was going to be a game changer in providing uninterrupted power supply as the power utility contemplated more monopole-based transmission lines in the state.

The minister said this project was going to be a game changer in providing uninterrupted power supply as the power utility contemplated more monopole-based transmission lines in the state.

He said the project would directly benefit the areas falling under Chaura Bazaar, Nurewal and Hambra sub-stations with 66kV GT Road substation now getting power supply from two sources, thereby easing the overburdened substation.

The minister, who was accompanied by Deputy Commissioner Surabhi Malik and Commissioner of Police Dr Kaustubh Sharma, stated that localities falling within the jurisdiction of these sub-stations would immediately get relief from power cuts as this new double-circuit power line had gone functional.

“As many as 49 monopoles have been installed to cover the 12-km distance spanning over the densely populated areas. These monopoles have a base of one meter to two meters in comparison to conventional towers that cover five-seven meters of area,” he said, adding that monopoles were suitable for erecting transmission lines in congested and thickly populated areas with right of way (ROW) issues in city areas.

Harbhajan Singh also inspected the ongoing works at 220kV Ladhowal where Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited was installing a second 160 MVA, 220/66 KV power transformer at a cost of Rs 9.5 crore. It is expected to be completed by July 15.

Reiterating the state government’s commitment to provide uninterrupted power supply to industries, he asserted that these new projects would provide more reliability to power supply in the industrial hub. He also inspected ‘hotline maintenance techniques’ on the live energised 220kV transmission system at the sub-station.