BANGALORE: The high voltage direct current transmission line, that is 1,400 km long, was inaugurated at Kolar, 75 km from here. The transmission line would carry 2,000 MW of power generated at the Talcher super thermal power plant in Orissa to the southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Thanks to the project, built by the Power Grid Corporation of India, generation levels at Talcher and other plants in east India would stabilise and reduce costs since the surplus power would be sold to other states. Of the 2,000 MW, Tamil Nadu would receive 636 MW, Andhra Pradesh 499 MW, Karantaka 466 MW, Kerala 330 MW and Pondicherry 69 MW. "The first unit of 500 MW (at Talcher) has already been commissioned and the (southern) states will start receiving the power in the next 20 days," a PGCI official said on the sidelines of the inaugural ceremony. The remaining three units of 500 MW each would become operational every six months. The project was completed nine months ahead of schedule and cost 7 billion less than its estimated outlay -- a point the prime minister said should be the benchmark for all power projects in the country. Vajpayee also focused attention on "power disappearing" in the country with distribution losses amounting to 240 billion. "Now, the effort should be made to improve power generation and reduce transmission problems and bungling in distribution," Vajpayee said. Distribution losses are a euphemism for power thefts.
Source: IANS