Srinagar, Jan 23: Gusty winds on Thursday evening, followed by heavy snowfall in the upper reaches, caused extensive damage to the power infrastructure across Kashmir, plunging large parts of the Valley into darkness and leaving only essential feeders functional by Friday morning.
Officials of the Kashmir Power Development Corporation Limited (KPDCL) said the intensity of the weather event was unprecedented and resulted in widespread faults at both sub-transmission and distribution levels.
ìThe high-speed winds and snowfall caused rooftops to be blown off and crash onto 33 kV and 11 kV lines, leading to massive tripping and physical damage to the network. The scale of destruction is significant, and restoration is challenging due to weather and accessibility issues,î a senior KPDCL official said, adding that field staff were working in extremely difficult conditions.
According to officials, the power network remained live until around 10 pm on Thursday night, when the load abruptly crashed due to multiple faults triggered by gusty winds.
ìWe witnessed a sudden and steep fall in demand, something rarely seen before. Our priority immediately shifted to safeguarding the system and ensuring supply to essential installations,î the official said.
A statement of the KPDCL issued here said that in anticipation of snowfall predictions, KPDCL had geared up its preparedness to tackle the aftermath of snow on electric infrastructure, especially in hilly terrains and rural areas.
ìHowever, severe gusty winds, incessant rainfall, and heavy snowfall across various parts of the Kashmir division led to an unprecedented decline in power demand and load,î the statement said. ìThe load dropped to the lowest level of 93 MW at around 10 pm, as against the normal average running load of approximately 1650 MW.î
The KPDCL statement said the network was live until 10 pm on Thursday night, when the load abruptly crashed due to faults and damage of various 33 kV and 11 kV feeders owing to high-speed gusty winds.
It said the rooftops of houses were blown off and smashed onto 33 kV and 11 kV lines, causing extensive damage to electrical lines and adding extra difficulty in clearing the smashed roof structures hanging on the lines.
The statement said that at the sub-transmission level, 103 of the 135 33-kV lines were down or under fault, reflecting nearly 24 percent active network at this level.
ìSimilarly, at the distribution level, 1275 of the 1302 11-kV feeders were down or under fault till Friday morning,î it said. ìFollowing established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), early morning restoration work was initiated and was monitored at all levels, led by the Managing Director and Chief Engineer, and pursued by Superintending Engineers and Executive Engineers.î
The statement said that the restoration picked up pace during the day and by 6 pm, almost 80 percent of the network was charged back, with a load of 1050 MW recorded by the State Load Dispatch Centre, prioritising essential and vital installations.
It said that heavy snowfall and high-speed winds had badly affected the electrical infrastructure, particularly in Shopian, Kulgam, Baramulla, and Budgam districts.
ìAround 4.5 feet of snow in higher terrains of these areas is affecting restoration work, as vehicular movement remains severely impaired,î the KPDCL statement said. ìThe major affected areas include D H Pora, Kund, Malwan, and Branel-Lammar of Kulgam district; Sedow, Reshnagri, Herpora, Kapran, and Kuch Dora of Shopian district; and Khansahib, Beerwa, Doodhpathri, and Yousmarg of Budgam district.î
It said that the damage to a transmission tower at Sheeri in the Delina-Lower Jhelum Hydroelectric Project 132-kV transmission line has further hindered the restoration of power supply.
ìThe Jammu and Kashmir Power Transmission Corporation Limited (JKPTCL), Kashmir, is on the job of restoring the network by erecting an Emergency Restoration System,î the statement said.
Reiterating its commitment, the KPDCL said it was making all efforts to restore power supply to all areas by dusk, with men and machinery already mobilised to the affected areas and teams working on a war-footing basis for the earliest possible restoration of power services across the Valley.
