Saga of the 100 MVA transformer

Morung Express News 
Dimapur | May 29

Now that the highly anticipated 100 MVA transformer has arrived Dimapur, a question remains on most people’s minds, how long will it take to become operational? Going by the pace of groundwork undertaken to install the transmission equipment, it is likely to take months before it is finally put to work. 

Let alone the complex array of procedures involved to assemble the equipment, the process of accommodating the 50 tonnes (without accessories) or so machine at the State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC) in Nagarjan, Dimapur is a gargantuan task. The Power department had to tear down a portion of the perimeter wall encircling the SLDC to make way for the transport trailer, which ferried the machine all the way from the western part of the country. 

There are more challenges. To move the machine to the main switchyard, where a mish-mash of electrical paraphernalia is located, a solid concrete runway complete with a set of rail-like parallel tracks have to be constructed. The rails are for the wheels on which the transformer will be mounted for its 50-metre-odd journey to the switchyard. At present, only about half a portion of the runway is complete. For the time being, the transformer sits idle in a corner of the switchyard near the perimeter wall, where it was off-loaded, just along the road leading to Ganeshnagar. 

Though not officially disclosed by the department, informal sources say that the progress of constructing the runway was impeded when the company tasked with installing the transformer was confronted with ‘tax’. Work to lay the runway was said to have started towards the beginning of the year and was supposed to have been complete by now; but it had to be temporarily stopped midway as a result of the interference. It is however in progress at present.  That aside, the installation of the 100 MVA transformer - with a load capacity of roughly 80 mega watts (MW) - will greatly ease transmission at Dimapur load centre. 

(Consumers are forewarned that when the process of installation begins, interruption in supply might occur as certain lines would have to be cut-off for the safety of workers) The installed transmission capacity at Dimapur load centre at present is 60 MVA (roughly 48 MW) as against peak-hour demand which crosses 60 MW. This centre also covers Peren district.

Power demand at Dimapur load centre has witnessed a two-fold increase in the past decade. Upto the end of the 1990’s, the peak demand was said to have been around 30 MW, the centre having an installed capacity of 40 MVA at the time. Towards the beginning of the last decade, it was upgraded to 60 MVA as demand increased. A decade later, further upgrading was necessitated.

When the latest 100 MVA transformer goes into circuit, it is expected to effortlessly sustain the present peak demand, provided no unforeseen technical snags occur. 

Power transmission in Nagaland is split up into three branches or load centres, namely – Dimapur load centre, Mokokchung load centre and Kohima load centre. Here is a generalised breakup of power allotment in the state load centre-wise or tentative ‘drawal’ schedule for Nagaland load centres. Dimapur load centre, being the point with the highest demand, is allotted 60 percent of the total allotment of power from the regional load dispatch centre at any given point of time. For the Kohima load centre, peak-hour allocation is 25 percent, while off-peak allotment is 25 percent. The Mokokchung load centre is allotted 15 percent during peak-hours and 10 percent during off-peak period. Peak-hours are from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm. It is to be noted that the quantum of allotment is subject to fluctuation. It may be noted that the allotment for Nagaland hardly meets half of the total estimated peak demand of 110 MW.