A new gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) substation was recently commissioned in Arunachal Pradesh – the first such for the northeastern state.
On August 2, 2023, a 132/33kV GIS substation located at Nirjuli, a town in Papum Pare district, was inaugurated at the hands of Chowna Mein, Deputy Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh.
Commissioned by Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL), this substation has capacity of around 100 MVA, reports suggest.
PGCIL is also believed to oversee the construction of over 2,000 km of transmission and sub-transmission lines, aimed to reduce Arunachal Pradesh’s transmission losses.
It is also learnt that the Arunachal Pradesh has signed agreements with Central PSUs envisaging investment of around Rs.1,30,000 crore in the state’s hydropower sector.
Speaking of ongoing power generation projects, the upcoming 2,800-mw Dibang multipurpose project is considered as the most significant. Being developed by NHPC, the 12 x 240-mw project is expected to cost nearly Rs.32,000 crore and is expected to generate 11,223 million kwh of electricity per year. By current thinking, this would be the largest hydropower project in India.
Featured photograph (source: psuconnect) shows the new GIS substation in Arunachal Pradesh.