Gandhinagar [Gujarat) [India], June 4 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Surat, Gujarat, on World Environment Day (Friday). During the visit, he will inaugurate four development projects of the Energy and Petrochemicals Department, Government of Gujarat, and PowerGrid Corporation of India Ltd, with a total project cost of Rs 4950.39 crore.

According to a press release from the Chief Minister's office, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the Transmission Network Expansion Project in Gujarat, which will enable high-capacity power flow from Gujarat to Maharashtra. Implemented by the Powergrid Corporation of India Ltd at a cost of Rs 4,546 crore across Surat and Navsari districts, the project will strengthen the state's transmission network and improve power transfer capacity by increasing Available Transmission Capacity (ATC) from Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) Part B.

The Transmission Network Expansion includes a Digital Substation at Navsari, along with a 765 kV D/c transmission line from Navsari to Padghe in Maharashtra, and 400 kV D/c transmission lines from Navsari to Magarwada and Kala. It will allow efficient evacuation of renewable energy from the Khavda region and its seamless transmission via Navsari to Padghe, ensuring reliable high-capacity power flow between Gujarat and Maharashtra.

The project further strengthens the transmission network by enhancing Available Transmission Capacity for power transfer from the Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) and the Khavda Renewable Energy evacuation schemes. The commissioning of the world's largest Digital Substation at Navsari (New) will mark a major milestone in India's power transmission sector and further reinforce Gujarat's position as a key hub in the national transmission network, the release said.

Among the key projects to be inaugurated is a Full Turnkey Contract for the design, supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of distribution infrastructure works aimed at reducing losses in the Valsad district, at a cost of Rs 324.19 crore. Implemented by Dakshin Gujarat Vij Company Limited (DGVCL) under the Revamped Reforms-Based and Result-Linked Distribution Sector Scheme, the project is designed to strengthen the electricity distribution network, improve operational efficiency, and ensure continuous, reliable, and quality power supply to consumers.

As per the release, the works include AB cabling, installation of new transformers, augmentation of transformer capacity, reconductoring of old and deteriorated conductors, and feeder bifurcation, all aimed at strengthening the distribution system and improving supply reliability. The project will reduce power breakdowns, low-voltage complaints, conductor snapping, transformer overloading, and weather-related outages. It will also enhance public safety, improve transformer protection against external hazards, and reduce feeder AT&C losses, benefiting 5,98,028 people in Valsad.

Additionally, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the 66 kV Vanakala-Okha Substation at Choryasi Taluka in Surat, developed at a cost of Rs 48.20 crore, benefiting approximately 23,357 consumers in the surrounding area. The 66 kV Dhamni Substation at Dharampur Taluka in Valsad, developed at a cost of Rs 32.0 crore, will benefit 5,064 consumers within an 8-kilometre radius. These projects will further strengthen the region's power infrastructure. (ANI)