GUWAHATI, July 16 - For the first time in the State, the power department is in the process of installing �covered conductors� for power transmission which will provide safety against accidental contact.
Covered conductors are longitudinally water blocked and covered with special grade materials that provide insulation and ultra violet ray protection. These conductors provide safety against accidental contact and are a major help in significantly reducing outages.
While the covered conductors would ensure safety of both human and wildlife, power department officials say it would also check power theft to a large extend.
The first such �covered conductor� is being laid on a 11-km stretch of animal corridor in Kaziranga.
�We are planning to complete the installation in around three months time. The cost of laying such conductors is on the higher side. We will be spending around Rs 2.53 crore for this first covered conductor in the State,� APDCL MD Puru Gupta told The Assam Tribune.
�Two power feeders originating from the Kohora power station will be covered,� he said.
Gupta said the covered conductors are basically cables with multiple layers of cover, like armoured wires, which have greater longevity, no leakage and less prone to damage by environmental and natural causes, like high wind or storm, among other advantages.
�The covered conductors are the future of overhead power transmission, although these are quite expensive at this point of time. Not many states have used it. One can even hold the cable without any impact of the current,� he added.
The use of covered conductors would lower the risk of electrocution for wild animals passing through the area, especially for the elephants, which frequently cross through the NH-37 from the park to higher land in Karbi Anglong district.
Gupta informed that two companies � Raychem RPG and Apar Industries � have placed bids for providing the covered conductors and the selected company would be announced soon.
Earlier, all covered conductors were imported, but the parties that have participated in the tendering process have opened world-class facilities in India and the lot for Kaziranga will be provided from the India factories, he added.
