Mumbai: Maharashtra Government has given permission to the Adani Transmission floated Kharghar-Vikhroli Transmission Pvt Ltd for the construction of 400 kV Vikhroli receiving station and associated incoming transmission lines.
The project aims to strengthen the Mumbai transmission system and help evacuate additional 1,000 mw of power from rest of India to meet the rising electricity demand.
The state energy department joint secretary UD Walunj on Tuesday released the notification giving a pre permission under sections 68 and 164 of the Electricity Act, 2003 to the Kharghar-Vikhroli Transmission Pvt Ltd. The project envisages installation of the 34 km of 400 kV and 220 kV transmission lines along with 1,500 MVA 400 kV GIS substation at Vikhroli in north east Mumbai. The approval period will be for 25 years which will be subsequently increased.
It will be binding on the company to take prior permission of the Chief Electric Inspector and Chief Engineer of Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company (MSETCL) for the commissioning of the transmission line. It will be the company’s responsibility to address the grievances raised by the farmers and landowners in consultation with the competent authority.
Tuesday’s notification came after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had held a meeting with the Adani Transmission in October last year and had set a deadline of 2023 for the project completion of a long delayed 400 kV Vikhroli transmission project.
The necessity of the project was desperately felt when Mumbai felt a grid collapse and the failure of Mumbai Islanding Scheme resulting in blackout on October 12 last year.
Adani Transmission had received Letter of Intent in December 2019 from Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company (MSETCL) to build, own, operate and maintain a transmission project in the state of Maharashtra for a period of 35 years. The project was awarded through tariff based competitive bidding.
A State Energy Department officer told Free Press Journal, “The project is critical to Mumbai as the existing capacity of transmission corridor is not sufficient to carry further power into the city. This project would enable additional power to be brought into Mumbai and would thus help in meeting the future demand of the city.’’
He said the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission MERC, which had cleared the project in 2011, had in 2019 scrapped the execution by Tata Power (Transmission) citing inordinate delays and lack of substantial progress since 2011.
