The Kashmir valley region in Northern India suffers from blackouts during the harsh winter months – leaving many families exposed to severe cold. A new project by GE Grid Solutions, however, is keeping the lights on in more than half a million homes.
GE’s Grid Solutions business recently completed a first-of-its-kind project for a 400/200 kV Gas Insulated Substation (GIS) at Magam village in the Baramulla block of north Kashmir. Part of the Northern Region System Strengthening 29 (NRSS 29) project, this project was awarded to Sterlite Energy by the Indian Government through tariff-based competitive bidding in May 2014.
Sterlite Energy recently shared that the commissioning of the project was two months ahead of schedule despite challenging mountainous terrain. The project will provide more than half a million Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) citizens access to reliable power sources year-round. The project was led by GE T&D India Limited, the listed entity of GE Power's Grid Solutions business in India.
The transmission lines are spread over 400 km from Samba in Jammu to Amargarh in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district and pass through 11 major towns and districts of J&K.
While GE has commissioned over 400 kV GIS bays across India, this is the first time the company has delivered a solution under harsh weather and sub-zero temperatures in India. Situated at an altitude of 1,710 mts (5,610 ft) in the snow-covered hills of Amargarh, this project was implemented in record time amidst tough conditions.
“Specially designed vehicles were used to transport heavy equipment from different locations across India and deliver them safely to the site, overcoming several considerable constraints like narrow tunnels and rough terrains,” says Shailesh Mishra, business unit head of Turnkey Solutions, GE’s Grid Solutions Business, South Asia. He further added, “transporting the material through the Jawahar Tunnel was especially challenging. For transportation of transformers, we had to dismantle the entire lighting rail and fixtures of Jawahar tunnel and re-do it within a limited time window. Underdeveloped local markets, limited availability of power from the grid and extreme weather conditions all posed significant challenges for the teams.”
“GE is committed to helping India develop and improve its electrical infrastructure to ensure that the citizens have access to consistent and reliable power year-round, no matter what the weather conditions. Our partnership with Sterlite Energy is just the next step in meeting the growing energy demand of the country,” says Sunil Wadhwa, Managing Director, GE T&D India Limited Leader, GE’s Grid Solutions Business, South Asia. “Every team member who was involved in this project should be incredibly proud of what we have achieved – delivering a critical solution under severe conditions and in record time.”
“The NRSS-29 is one of the largest private sector transmission projects awarded in the country and is critical for meeting the power requirements of the state,” says Ved Mani Tiwari, CEO, Sterlite Power. “This is especially true in Kashmir, which suffers massive load-shedding during winters when electricity demand rises sharply. The GE team has done a phenomenal job in achieving this feat, particularly given tight project timelines and rough, mountainous terrain.”
