Tata Power gets nod to upgrade Kalwa-Kalyan transmission line

Tata Power plans to upgrade its Kalwa-Kalyan transmission line to 220 KV, needing 10 acres of forest land, pending further approvals.

Mumbai: Tata Power has received approval from the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) to upgrade its Kalwa-Kalyan transmission line from 110 KV to 220 KV. Around 10 acres of forest land within the Mumbai metropolitan region would have to be diverted for this work.

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MCZMA approved the upgradation plan during its meeting held on August 5, whose minutes were made available earlier this month. Tata Power will need to secure further permissions from the high court and the forest department as the proposed alignment passes through the 50-metre mangrove buffer zone, the minutes said.

The existing overhead 110 KV transmission line between Tata Power’s Bhivpuri hydro power station in Kalyan and Kalwa in Thane spans 17 km and includes 87 towers. The line is more than 75 years old and passes through several villages and forest land in Thane district and Parsik Hill. Infrastructure development in and around Kalyan has led to a 6% hike in annual load, and it is necessary to upgrade the existing transmission line to cater to existing and future load requirements, the minutes of the meeting noted.

Tata Power plans to replace the existing 110 kV line with a multi-circuit 220 kV line following orders from the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission.