Portable power substation means dark days are over

Meditron, a Mesra-based company, has designed a power substation on wheels. And the good news is that it is available at less than half the price of the conventional power substation ? Rs 29 lakh, report Gautam Mazumdar and Rajesh Roy.

Ever seen a power substation on wheels? Meditron, a Mesra-based company, has actually designed such a marvel.

HT Image

The portable substation looks like a hut but packs in all the features of a conventional power substation and even matches its parameters. And what is even better news in a country like ours, with large rural pockets still without electricity, is that the portable substation is available at less than half the price of the conventional power substation — it works out to about Rs 29 lakh.

Meditron proprietor NC Agarwal got the inspiration for this engineering wonder from China, during a visit he made to the country a couple of years ago. "I found it unique and suitable for our requirements in India," said Agarwal.

Work on the project began in 2004 when the Uttaranchal government placed an order for a portable substation with Meditron's Hardwar unit.

Till date, Meditron has manufactured two such units; one has already been dispatched to Pithoragarh in Uttaranchal and the other is waiting for a potential buyer.

The substation can be tailored to specific needs and can be installed in one to three months. It has two 11-kV incoming feeders of 1,250 amperes and four outgoing 11-kV feeders of 880 amperes.

The hut is made of steel, fitted with two doors and proper ventilation. The walls are insulated with fiberglass and internally lined with decorative aluminium sheets. The substation can be fitted with air conditioning to maintain a 30 degree Celsius temperature and is attached with computer and a printer to download information.

Email Gautam Mazumdar, Rajesh Roy: reporters.general@hindustantimes.com