DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Punjab's Power Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO has commended the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) for its remarkable progress in strengthening the state's power infrastructure, particularly in the West Zone. Under the dynamic leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the West Zone?comprising the districts of Bathinda, Mansa, Faridkot, Moga, Ferozepur, Sri Muktsar Sahib, and Fazilka?has witnessed unprecedented growth in electricity distribution, transmission, and reliability during the year 2024?25.

Sharing details of the developments, Minister highlighted the extensive upgrades across the zone, which now includes 3 substations of 400KV, 25 of 220KV, 18 of 132KV, and 256 substations of 66KV, offering a combined capacity of 6490 MVA. These upgrades are supported by 336 lines of 66KV extending over 3548.75 circuit kilometers, ensuring strong connectivity and consistent power supply across the region.

He said to serve a growing base of 23.85 lakh consumers, PSPCL has reinforced its distribution through 3545 feeders of 11KV. In a significant move to improve efficiency and reduce load-related disruptions, 475 feeders were de-loaded during the year. Additionally, the High Tension (HT) line network expanded by 875.65 km to reach 100,312 km, while Low Tension (LT) lines were extended to 41,623.53 km, enhancing coverage in remote and rural areas.

Adding, Minister said one of the most notable achievements has been in the area of transformer capacity enhancement. The zone now operates 4,49,567 distribution transformers, with a total installed capacity of 11,782.38 MVA?an increase of 8,386 transformers and 396.35 MVA over the previous year. Several major upgrades were also undertaken in power transformers, including the upgradation of four units from 6.3/8.0 MVA to 12.5 MVA, seven units from 10/12.5 MVA to 20 MVA, and four units from 20 MVA to 31.5 MVA. Additionally, two new 20 MVA transformers were installed, further improving the resilience and reliability of substations.

The Power Minister also highlighted the strategic investments being made under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), under which Rs 381.85 crore has been allocated for the West Zone. Planned works include 234 bi-connections of 11KV feeders, 184 underground cabling projects, 157 high-capacity conductor upgrades, 708 new transformers, six new substations, and 23 additional distribution lines. These initiatives are expected to significantly reduce power outages, voltage fluctuations, and transformer failures, while preparing the zone for future energy demands.

(editor@dailyworld.in)