Global tech boost for J&K power project

Erickson said it was partnering with Sterlite Grid to install nearly 160 power transmission towers in the Pir Panjal mountain range

Heralding a major technological jump in the power transmission sector, US-based aviation services provider Erickson Incorporated would provide skycranes and other such equipment to Sterlite Grid Power Ventures for a critical project in Jammu & Kashmir to supply 2,000 Mw to the region.

Erickson said in a release it was partnering with Sterlite Grid to install nearly 160 power transmission towers in the challenging terrain of the Pir Panjal mountain range in northern India, using Erickson’s S64 Aircrane. Sterlite Grid is the largest private operator of independent power transmission systems in the country.

The project — Northern Region System Strengthening- XXIX (NRSS-29) — was awarded to Sterlite Grid through tariff-based competitive bidding in May 2014. Scheduled to commission in 2018, the project will strengthen the power transfer capability in J&K, providing another route for power transfer, said the company. The estimated cost of the project was Rs 3,000 crore.

Sterlite had last year joined hands with another US aerial solutions company, Burns & McDonnell, to source heli-cranes for erecting towers in hilly terrains.

The project involves 450 km of transmission lines between Punjab and J&K and 400 220-Kv gas-insulated substations (GIS) in Amargarh, Rajasthan. A total of 1,150 towers will have to be erected in Pir Panjal in the inner Himalayan region.

“The initiative will be the first time that transmission lines will be constructed by utilising a precision heavy-lift helicopter in India. The company expects to complete the transmission network nearly 10 months ahead of schedule, utilising Erickson’s aerial expertise in setting transmission towers. The work is set to commence in mid-2016,” said the media statement of Erickson.

Erickson will assist Sterlite Grid by flying materials and steel as well as utilising the aircrane’s high-precision lift capability to erect the towers along the power lines. The work will be performed at altitudes of 9,000-12,500 feet in remote regions.

Erickson has 40 years of experience in building transmission towers utilising aircranes in similar remote environments.

The state of J&K faces a power crisis, with a deficit of more than 5,500 million units of electricity annually. It has lately increased its focus on the power reforms and drafted a separate budget for the sector.

The current power demand of the state is 2,400 Mw, slated to increase to 3,500 Mw in three years. Sterlite, in an earlier statement said, strengthened connection with the North Grid would help solve the power crisis that J&K faces. With increasing share of renewable energy in the grid, the line would also enable the transmission of same.

Power project in J&K

* US major aerial solutions company Erickson Incorporated ties up with Indian power transmission company Sterlite Grid

* To provide aircranes and other similar flying materials to help construction of towers in hilly terrain of Pir Panjal

* Tie-up for Northern Region System Strengthening-XXIX (NRSS-29) - aimed at 2,000-Mw power supply

* Estimated cost - Rs 3,000 crore

* Around 1,150 tower construction involved