Tata Power gets nod to upgrade Kalwa-Kalyan transmission line

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.
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.
The proposed alignment of transmission line passes through several villages in Thane district such as Elatha Tarf Khairane, Kausa, Dawla, Mothi Desai Gaon, Khardipada, Nilaje and Katai, the minutes note. Mangroves are situated roughly 900 meters away from this corridor. Out of 37.44 hectares required for upgradation work, 4.58 hectares comprises forest land while 32.86 hectares is non-forest land. Among the 87 towers, 11 are located in forest land, the minutes said.
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.