LAHORE: The National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) on Saturday installed and commissioned a 600MVA Transformer at the mega 500kV Yousafwala (Sahiwal) Grid Station.

The transformer was successfully energized and after being tested on full load, improving power transmission and supply to several areas of the Lahore Electric Supply Company, Multan Electric Power Company and some of the Faisalabad Electric Supply Company.

“The installation work of 500 /220 kV (600 MVA) Auto Transformer at 500 kV grid station, Yousafwala has enhanced the capacity of the grid station to 1800MVA at 500 kV level. This will improve power supply to several areas of Lesco including Lahore, Okara and Sarfraz Nagar and Mepco’s Sahiwal, Chichawatni, Pakpattan, Arifwala, Kassowal, Vehari and Chishtian and some of the Fesco,” NTDC Managing Director Engineer Dr Khawaja Riffat Hussain said at a ceremony held after inauguration of the transformer’s energization. “Due to this the public complaints related to overloading of the system (tripping, fluctuation, forced outages etc) will be no more almost,” he claimed.

To enhance the power system transmission capacity under its constraints management strategy, the NTDC is installing auto transformers at 220 kV grid station, Gakkhar Mandi and 500 kV grid Station, Rawat Islamabad. The NTDC will install 160 MVA Transformer at 220 kV Grid Station Ghakkar grid station (Gujranwala) to complete installation on emergent basis during the ongoing summers. The 220 kV grid station Gakkhar is located near industrial hub of Gujranwala and adjoining districts. Due to ever rising industrial and commercial activities in the region, increasing demand of power is causing overloading of currently operational auto transformers at the grid station.

Similarly a 160 MVA Auto Transformer is also being installed at 500 kV grid station Rawat, Rawalpindi. After completion of installation work, the total capacity of the said grid station would be increased to 910 MVA at 220 kV level. The transformer will not only share the load of other transformers of the same grid station but the areas of IESCO and Rawalpindi District, Islamabad Capital territory, whereas Jhelum and Chakwal District will also have improved voltage profile and minimized forced load shedding. The transformer is likely to be energized during the ongoing summers.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2020