Union Power Minister R.K. Singh laid the foundation stone for a 400kV transmission line in Bihar, through a virtual event, on September 13, 2020.
The transmission line is the LILO (Line In, Line Out) of the 400kV Kishanganj-Darbhanga transmission line. The foundation stone for the project, which will be implemented by Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL), was laid at Saharsa in Bihar.
The minister said that on completion of the 400kV Kishanganj-Darbhanga transmission line LILO project, the power scenario of the Saharsa district as well as that of Supaul, Khagaria and Begusarai districts shall improve. The low voltage profile problem of North Bihar will be considerably solved and above districts shall be benefited by reliable power.
The proposed LILO will compensate for power outages due to potential flood-related damage to the 400kV Kishanganj-Patna transmission line.
Singh also praised PGCIL for its efforts and state that the Central PSU has played an important role in connecting every state and region with national grid, especially in Bihar. The inter-regional transmission systems have helped Bihar in accessing power supply from other states at cheaper rates.
Project Rationale
Saharsa, located in the extreme northern part of Bihar, is a flood-prone area due to inflow of water from Nepal. To improve the power situation of North Bihar area, one 400/220/132kV substation is being established by PGCIL at Saharsa.
This substation shall be connected with Patna and Kishanganj through the existing 400kV Kishanganj-Patna line. Both Kishanganj and Patna are very far from Saharsa and the transmission line is vulnerable in nature due to so many critical river crossing locations. Central Electricity Authority (CEA) studied the power scenario of North Bihar and it has been decided to provide additional connection for the 400kV Saharsa substation with Darbhanga also. The same is planned to be achieved by construction of LILO of Kishanganj Darbhanga Line.
It is also learnt that the 400kV Kishanganj-Patna line is prone to damage during floods, causing power outage. In view of this, the decision to construct a LILO of one circuit of the 400kV Kishanganj-Darbhanga transmission line (which is a double-circuit line) was taken at a standing committee meeting of the Eastern Region Power Committee in July 2019. The committee also felt that a LILO of just one circuit of the the 400kV Kishanganj-Darbhanga DC transmission line would serve the purpose.
Featured photograph is for illustration only; smaller photograph sourced from Press Information Bureau (PIB)
