PM to inaugurate, lay foundation stone of key projects of power, urban sector in Kerala on Feb 19

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of key projects of power and urban sector in Kerala on Friday at 4:30 pm via video conferencing.

Chief Minister of Kerala, along with Union Ministers of State (I/C) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, and Housing and Urban Affairs, will also be present on the occasion.

The Prime Minister will inaugurate the 320 KV Pugalur (Tamil Nadu) - Thrissur (Kerala) power transmission project. It is a Voltage Source Convertor (VSC) based High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) project and has India's first HVDC link featuring state-of-the-art VSC technology. Built at a cost of Rs 5,070 crores, it will facilitate transfer of 2000 MW power from the western region and help meet the growth in load for the people of Kerala. "This VSC-based system features integration of HVDC XLPE (cross-linked polyethylene) cable with overhead lines which saves right-of-way as well as has 35-40 per cent less land footprint compared to conventional HVDC system," the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.

He will dedicate to the nation the 50 MW Kasaragod Solar Power Project, which has been developed under the National Solar Energy Mission. Set up over 250 acres of land spread across Paivalike, Meenja and Chippar villages of Kasaragod district, the project has been built with Centre's investment of around Rs 280 crores.

He will also lay the foundation stone of the Integrated Command and Control Centre, and Smart Roads Project in Thiruvananthapuram.

Projected to be built at a cost of Rs 94 crores, Integrated Command and Control Centre is being set up to host Smart Solutions for Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation, and will act as a common point of action during emergency situations to facilitate coordinated action.

Smart Roads Project, to be undertaken at an estimated cost of Rs 427 crores, envisages converting 37 Kms of existing roads in Thiruvananthapuram to world-class smart roads by bringing all overhead utilities underneath and undertaking road and junction improvements.

Moreover, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the 75 MLD (million litres per day) Water Treatment Plant at Aruvikkara, built under the AMRUT Mission. It will boost supply of drinking water to people of Thiruvananthapuram and help avoid disruption of drinking water supply to the city in the event of maintenance work in the existing treatment plants in Aruvikkara.

( With inputs from ANI )