Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL), India's largest electricity transmission company, has found the installation of power transmission lines between India and Sri Lanka to be feasible, paving the way for eventual trading of electricity between countries.
The 285-kilometre long line, including submarine cables over a stretch of 50 km, will enable India and Sri Lanka to trade their surplus power with each other, thereby offering a cheaper option to bridge the power generation deficit.
"The feasibility study undertaken by Power Grid has found the project to be feasible. Now, the government has to take a decision", said S K Chaturvedi, chairman and managing director of Power Grid.
The project is estimated to cost Rs 2,300 crore and will link the power grid in Tamil Nadu to the transmission system in Sri Lanka. The line would initially have a capacity of 500 mw and this would be doubled to 1,000 mw later.
However, the route for the transmission line has not yet been determined and would be subject to a detailed survey of the terrain. As implementation of the project would depend on the Indian government's approval and actual completion date, it was not possible to estimate the time to achieve break-even point, said Chaturvedi.
However, the Sri Lankan government in a cabinet meeting held on July 25, gave its approval to the transnational power link.
Power Grid is executing projects to bring electricity from Nepal and Bhutan. It is also looking at developing two transmission lines to Myanmar, but is waiting for the government's approval. "We would focus on international operations in the coming years", Chaturvedi said.
