Satyendar Jain visits Tata Power DDL, says 10MW battery energy unit largest in South Asia

Delhi Power Minister Satyendar Jain visited a 10-megawatt battery energy storage system at Tata Power DDL in Rohini on Sunday. During his visits, Jain informed that the energy backup system was South Asia's largest.

"This system gives stability to the grid and eliminates fluctuations. We can use the energy during peak demand by discharging the batteries and can recharge it again when the demand is less," he told ANI. "I have given a few inputs on how we can improve the design. I have asked for a redesigned model with half the cost within a month. If the cost gets halved, it will be repeated in Delhi at a large scale," the minister added. 

Battery energy storage system to stabilise grid across Delhi 

The Delhi power minister said that this 10-megawatt battery energy storage system will be utilised to stabilise the grid across Delhi. The batteries may also be charged using solar energy, Jain informed. The entire project was built at a cost of Rs 55 crore. Tata Power took to Twitter to post some pictures of the minister's visit. 

Savings due to privatisation in Delhi 

As per reports, since power distribution was decentralised in Delhi in 2002, the national capital has saved at least Rs 1.2 lakh crore. The save margin is primarily due to transmission losses. The Delhi Vidyut Board was disbanded in 2002, and the power sector was privatised. This resulted in a considerable reduction in aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses. AT&C losses in the national capital were over 55% at the time of privatisation, according to records. In the east and central parts of Delhi, they were as high as 63 %. AT&T losses are currently about 7.5%. Distribution companies claim that their power purchase expenses have risen by more than 300%, compared to a 91% increase in the retail power tariff over the same period.

Delhi government approves felling over 450 trees for LILO circuits

The Delhi government had approved the felling of 399 trees in Maharani Bagh and 192 trees in Dwarka for the building of loop-in loop-out (LILO) circuits for 400-kV transmission lines earlier this month. As per the environment department’s notice on 30 July, 299 trees will be cut and 100 will be transplanted at the Maharani Bagh substation, in front of the Sarai Kale Khan ISBT.

This will make wat for the construction of the LILO circuit of the 400-KV Mandola-Bawana transmission line. For the building of the LILO circuit of the Bamnauli-Jhatikara 400-KV transmission line in Dwarka, 139 trees will be felled and 53 will be transplanted. The department has requested Power Grid Corporation India Limited (PGCIL), the user agency, to transplant 100 trees from the Maharani Bagh site to an area adjacent to NH-24 on the Yamuna's eastern bank, and 53 trees from Dwarka to a closeby site.

The department has been ordered to plant 3,990 seedlings of Neem, Amaltas, Peepal, Pilkhan, Gular, Bargad, Desi Kikka, Arjun, and other natural plants on the Yamuna floodplains as a compensatory plantation. The north division of the forest department will plant another 1,920 seedlings on 2.41 hectares of land in the Yamuna floodplains near the CPWD headquarters, using the security payment amounting to Rs. 1.09 crore deposited by PGCIL.

According to the government, the replacement plantation must be completed within three months of the tree removal licence being granted. Tree transplantation is set to begin as soon as permission is granted and must be completed within three months, following which a completion report must be given to the Tree Officer. At the transplantation site, the space between trees must not be less than four metres.

(With inputs from ANI and PTI, Image: Satyendar Jain/Twitter)