Country's first underground power transformer in Bengaluru installed

Bengaluru: Energy Minister KJ George inaugurated the country's first underground transformer center in the state capital Bengaluru. It has been set up at 15th Avenue, Malleswaram in collaboration with BESCOM and BBMP at a cost of Rs 1.98 crore. This is a transformer of 500 KVA capacity. Only Western countries have power transformer underground stations. Governments there have built these centers keeping in mind the convenience and safety of the public. An underground power transformer station has been set up in Bengaluru for the first time in the country.

For the safety and convenience of the people, a room is constructed below the earth, in which a 30 mm cement block is constructed and electrical transformers are installed on it. Presently, the converter is installed at a depth of 10 feet from the top of the road in this center which is established in Malleswaram.

Electricity related works are done by BESCOM and civil works by BBMP. This station has 500 KVA capacity oil free transformer, 8 way solid site ring main unit, 5-way LT distribution box, UPS, water pump and air control system. BBMP has given Rs 64 lakh for civil works. A BESCOM official said that the project was completed in 365 days.

There is an arrangement to go inside during repairs. This chamber is like a water sump and is enclosed by concrete walls on all four sides. Due to this, there is no problem with pedestrians traveling on this center, even if an incident like a transformer explosion happens, there will be no accident on the top of the center. It will help to prevent power failure and power failure.

In the coming days, it is planned to transfer approximately 300 transformers on the footpaths of the city to the underground center in this way, informed an official.

Minister George said, First of its kind underground distribution transformer centre (500kVA transformer with 8 way solid state RMU) in Malleshwaram ward has opened. This is an exceptional achievement for us since we are the first state to do this across India.The project is a collaboration between BBMP and BESCOM. This prioritises safety and reliability along with maintaining neat aesthetics of the area. In a phased manner, Bescom will eventually convert all the HT overhead lines to underground cables in Bengaluru city.

He said, This will also convert the complete system which includes distribution transformers, ring main units, feeder pillar boxes, etc into an underground system. This adds to the overall safety of the environment, encouraging the citizens to use footpath without any hassles since they’d be free from interruption during maintenance works of overhead cables and related equipment. This would also keep the electrical equipment insulated from drastic climatic changes such as cold, heat and rains.

He added, More than anything else, smart underground distribution infrastructure is not only innovative, it also removes a significant amount of visual clutter and improves the looks of the urban area.