GIB Issue: Undergrounding 66 kV Transmission Lines for Power Evacuation Not Feasible

The technical committee said 33 kV and below-rated lines can be undergrounded

August 10, 2022

thumbnail

The Technical Expert Committee constituted to lay down the techno-economic norms on undergrounding of power lines has determined that undergrounding of transmission lines of 66 kV and above voltage levels for evacuation of bulk power is not technically feasible.

The committee said that power evacuation lines should be constructed above the ground as any outage in the underground line would require a much longer time for restoration than overhead lines and result in substantial generation losses.

The committee was constituted under Member (Power System), Central Electricity Authority (CEA), with representatives of the Central Transmission Utility of India and the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change.

However, in the case of 33 kV and below rated lines, which are used for transferring lower volumes of power over shorter distances, undergrounding of transmission lines is technically feasible and can be adopted, keeping in view local circumstances.

The committee was constituted following a directive of the Supreme Court, which is hearing a case relating to the endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB). A petition had been filed seeking underground transmission lines as the birds were colliding with them and dying.

The fate of several renewable energy projects in the GIB habitat has been hanging in the balance as developers are worried about the costs of dismantling the existing transmission lines and taking them underground.

The committee also issued guidelines for installing bird diverters. Regarding extra-high voltage transmission lines with two or more conductors per phase, the diverters can be placed on the earth or optical ground wires. They can be placed on either the phase conductors, earth wires, or optical ground wires on transmission lines with a single conductor in each phase.

The bird diverters must be placed on the central 80% span of the line at 10-meter intervals.

The committee had recommended the size, color, operating temperature, grip strength, and other construction features of the bird diverters.

According to the new notification, the diverters must be dynamic and have a warning disc (2-D or 3-D design) and associated clamps and connectors. The utilities should install a mixture of LED and non-LED diverters on their powerlines, where at least one in five (20% of total) diverters on a line should be LED type. The diverters should be designed for an effective life period of 15 years.

The total weight of the diverter should not be more than 800 grams, and the weight of the LED-type bird flight diverters should not exceed 1,000 gm.

The technical committee said the warning disc should be suitable for hanging on the conductor through clamps and hardware. The clamp for holding the conductor should be spring type, made of UV-stabilized engineered composite plastic (polymer) or metal or carbon fiber, and suitable for live line installation by hot stick or drone.

The Supreme Court had earlier ruled that the overhead transmission lines should be shifted underground to protect the endangered bird species. In April 2021, it directed the authorities to complete moving the transmission lines underground within a year. Until then, diverters were to be hung from the existing powerlines. During the hearing, the apex court said that installing bird diverters in the bird habitats in Gujarat and Rajasthan should be completed before July 20, 2022.

RELATED POSTS

thumbnail
Top 5 States for Open Access Solar Installations in CY 2022

India added an impressive 2.5 GW open access solar capacity in 2022, registering a growth of 92% year-over-year (YoY), according to the 2022 Q4 & Annual Mercom India Solar Open Access Market Report. Karnataka emerged as the to...

March 23, 2023

Markets & Policy

Government Clarifies ALMM Enlistment Guidelines for Co-branded Solar Modules

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has modified the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) guidelines and provided exceptions to broaden the qualification criteria for modules produced under agreements betwe...

March 24, 2023

C&I

In Bengaluru, a 100 kW Solar System Can Save C&I Entities ₹1 Million Annually

Mercom India successfully concluded the C&I Clean Energy Meet 2023 in Bengaluru, where stakeholders in the solar sector and commercial and industrial entities converged to enthusiastically discuss the benefits of renewable ene...

March 24, 2023

Other

Gensol Acquires Solar Tracker Maker Scorpius for ₹1.35 Billion

Gensol Engineering, a part of solar engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) company Gensol Group, has acquired India-based solar tracker manufacturer Scorpius Trackers for ₹1.35 billion ($16.4 million). Gensol said the ac...

March 23, 2023

Magazine

DON'T MISS AN ISSUE!

Mercom Cleantech Magazine

Get Your Copy Today!

magazines

Latest News

thumbnail
Government Clarifies ALMM Enlistment Guidelines for Co-branded Solar Modules

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has modified the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) guidelines and provided exceptions to broaden the qualification criteria for modules produced under agreements...

March 24, 2023

thumbnail
Intra-State Sections of Evacuation Infrastructure for Renewables Delayed

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy that the intra-state stretches of the Green Energy Corridor (GEC) have been delayed due to various reasons, including...

March 24, 2023

thumbnail
EnBW Takes €2.4 Billion Final Investment Decision on Offshore Wind Project

German electric utility company Energie Baden-Wuerttemberg (EnBW) has made its final €2.4 billion (~$2.6 billion) investment decision on He Dreiht, a major wind project in the German North Sea. The project has a capacity of 960...

March 24, 2023

thumbnail
India Missed 2022 Renewables Target as Rooftop Solar and Wind fell Short

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy report has isolated underwhelming progress on rooftop solar and wind energy projects as the primary reason for India falling short of achieving its renewable energy capacity target...

March 24, 2023

thumbnail
Researchers Aim to Accelerate Delivery of Space-Based Solar Power to Earth

Researchers at Northumbria University are studying ways of producing wireless electricity from space to Earth by harvesting the Sun’s energy. U.S.-based aerospace, defense, and information security organization Lockheed Martin...

March 24, 2023

thumbnail
Regulator Directs Wind Energy Firm, MSEDCL, to Recompute Delayed Payment Charge

The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) recently directed Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) and the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDCL) to recompute the delayed payment charge from...

March 24, 2023

thumbnail
One-Step Coating Could Make Perovskite Solar Cells Commercially Viable

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has devised a new way to produce perovskite solar cells that could speed its commercialization. Different layers are typically added sequentially to a conductive glass substrate to...

March 24, 2023

thumbnail
ACWA Power to Develop Solar and Energy Storage Projects in Uzbekistan

Saudi Arabia-based energy company ACWA Power has signed power purchase and investment agreements with  National Electric Grid of Uzbekistan, and the Ministry of Investment, Industry, and Trade to develop new solar and battery...

March 24, 2023

thumbnail
China Securities Regulatory Commission Approves Canadian Solar’s IPO

The China Securities Regulatory Commission has approved the registration of CSI Solar, the engineering, procurement, and construction arm of solar module maker Canadian Solar, to issue an initial public offering (IPO). The...

March 24, 2023

thumbnail
Renewables Accounted for 83% of the Total Generation Capacity Added in 2022

Renewable capacity grew by 9.6% in 2022, adding a record 295 GW worldwide. This accounts for 83% of all power capacity added last year and brings the global renewable generation capacity to 3,372 GW by the end of last year, a...

March 24, 2023

MORE NEWS