CONTRACT AND PROCUREMENT OF MATERIALS

The scope of the contract included the supply of all materials for the three 110/20-kV substations — Faizabad, Jumabazar and Myamana — and for one additional bay at the existing 110/20-kV Andhkey Substation. This US$3 million contract was awarded to M/s Angelique International Ltd., an Indian company.

Also included were materials to complete the construction of the 110-kV transmission line and the 20-kV distribution lines. M/s KEC International Ltd., an Indian manufacturer and turnkey contractor, was awarded the $2.7 million contract.

The final procurement was the supply and installation of 64 20/0.4-kV pole-mounted and indoor distribution substations. A $1.55 million contract was awarded to M/s Angelique International Ltd.

The supply of materials was subject to a one-year contract commencing in January 2004, but the logistics associated with this major project were complex. Materials were routed through different Indian ports and the Iranian port at Bander Abbas to the Afghanistan-Iran border at Islam Quala. The delivery of materials and equipment to the job site from Islam Quala was then completed by road a distance of more than 2800 km (1740 miles). This transit route covered 1300 km (808 miles) in Iran followed by 1500 km (932 miles) through Kabul in Afghanistan.

PROJECT CONSTRUCTION

The construction of the 110-kV single-circuit transmission line, which was started in 1985, was designed to be supported by concrete produced by a manufacturing unit at Phul-e-Khumri in Afghanistan. Single-pole supports with double-pole supports at each angle position were erected, with the average span length being some 150 m (492 ft).

In 1985, almost 1700 concrete poles were erected for the planned 110-kV interconnector, but no conductor stringing was undertaken. Therefore, WAPCOS had to confirm that the strength of the 22-m to 25-m (72-ft to 82-ft) concrete poles was sufficient and that the structures remained vertical. Similar tests were conducted on sample crossarms at a designated Indian testing station. An additional 100 poles had to be erected to complete the line on a route that included several narrow river crossings.

The conductors used for the 110-kV single-circuit transmission line are 150-mm2 aluminium/25-mm2 steel ACSR supported by galvanised steel crossarms. The conductor stringing was undertaken by the Afghanistan Electricity Department with its own funding, supported by technical assistance by the WAPCOS engineering staff.

The 110/20-kV Myamana and Jumabazar substations were both commissioned in December 2006, and the 110/20-kV Faizabad Substation was commissioned in March 2007, followed by the commissioning of the 110-kV interconnector in July 2007.

Construction work on the 20-kV distribution network to supply the rural communities being undertaken by the Afghanistan Electricity Department is still in progress. The 20-kV distribution network is designed with dual construction to support the local 400-V, 3-phase network. This final stage of the electrification scheme includes the installation of 20 630-kVA and 12 400-kVA 20/0.4-kV ground-mounted indoor substations, 12 250-kVA and 20 160-kVA 20/0.4-kV pole-mounted substations.

This project required solutions to overcome many difficult issues that, in addition to the distances involved in moving materials and equipment to the job site, required the construction of transmission lines and substations in Afghanistan's deserted terrain in temperatures often exceeding 45°C (113°F). In spite of all these problems, the main contract was completed with only slight overrun on the specified time schedule.

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Inder Singh was awarded a BE degree from Birla Institute & Technology and a post-graduate diploma in industrial engineering at the IIT, Delhi, and is now the general manager (electrical) of WAPCOS Ltd., where he has worked since 1993. Singh gained extensive experience in the operation and maintenance of thermal power plants in India, Libya and Zimbabwe while employed by the Central Electricity Authority and the Electricity Supply Commission (Libya).
singhind_wapcos@rediffmail.com

D.V.S.N. Raju received a B.Sc. degree from the Regional Institute of Technology Jamshedpur, Ranchi University, and joined WAPCOS Ltd. 15 years ago, following appointments with Balaji Gears (Pvt.) Ltd., Hyderabad and the Central Electricity Authority. During his career at WAPCOS, Raju has held a series of appointments linked to design studies, specifications and contracts for hydropower plants. He currently serves as additional chief engineer and is responsible for the management of extra-high-voltage and high-voltage transmission line projects in Bhutan, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe.

Hillol Biswas has a BE degree and for the past seven years he has held the post of senior engineer at WAPCOS Ltd., working mainly in the field of transmission lines. During his 14-year career, Biswas has experience working in India, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Sudan, among other places. He is a member of the Institution of Engineers, India and CIGRÉ.
hillolbiswas@rediffmail.com

Viren Dutt Sharma was awarded a B.Tech degree from Kuruskhetra University and has worked as a senior engineer for WAPCOS for seven years on extra-high-voltage substation design. Sharma has considerable experience having worked in India, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Japan, and is a member of the Institution of Engineers, India.
Viren_dutt@yahoo.com