More power to Mumbai

Constructing six towers in the city creeks as part of the 400 KV Khargar-Vikhroli line was the most challenging job. Pic/AESL

Mumbai will be able to meet its increasing power demand as an additional 1,000 megawatts of power can be brought from outside without impacting its insufficient transmission network through the 400 KV Khargar-Vikhroli line that has integrated the city with the national grid. This is the city's first such double-circuit connection and it has been operational since Monday.

Adani Energy Solutions Limited (AESL) announced the commission on Monday, saying that the line was languishing for more than a decade and the work was awarded in 2021 through the bidding process.

The project comprises the first 400 KV Gas Insulated Substation (GIS) at Vikhroli and six towers in the creek. In addition, it includes horizontal towers in urban areas. The company said the new corridor will provide much-needed redundancy and stability to Mumbai's electricity supply network, which was greatly affected by grid failure twice-on February 27, 2022, and October 12, 2020. Most of the city areas had a prolonged blackout for hours together then.

"The Kharghar-Vikhroli line will bring an additional 1,000 MW of reliable power to Mumbai city as a solution to mitigate any such incidents in the future. With this project's commissioning, Mumbai gets a 400 KV grid within its municipal geography, bringing enhanced import capability within its electricity grid and improving reliability and stability," said the company spokesperson on Monday.

It said the line will provide much more sustainability to commuting through the upcoming bullet trains, metro rail network and suburban railway, as well as for commercial and residential establishments. Statistically, the new line has approximately 74 circuit kilometres of 400 KV and 220 KV transmission lines, along with a 1,500 MVA 400 KV GIS, the first of its kind in the city. The substation occupies approximately a 9,500-sq-m area because of its most compact design. It has been built vertically to minimise space requirements.

The company said it braved a number of challenges while laying the line, mainly in surmounting difficult terrain, but these were overcome with the use of technology and innovation. "For instance, six towers were constructed in creeks using heavy rigs on floating barges. In urban areas, height restrictions in some locations were overcome by adopting special horizontal configuration towers," the spokesperson added.