Feb 23 snowfall aftermath: ERS imported from Canada ensures temporary restoration of towers in Kulgam

Srinagar, Mar 8: Unlike the past, the introduction of Emergency Restoration Systems (ERS) has helped the Jammu Kashmir Power Transmission Corporation Limited (JKPTCL) to re-erect damaged towers in just four days.
Pertinently, the towers got damaged in the recent snowfall that occurred on February 23, 2022.
Officials within the JKPTCL said that the ERS system that was introduced in J&K in 2018 has reduced the time-limit of re-erecting the electricity towers.
“At least 10 ERS are available at present with us,” they said, adding that it would take nearly 30 days to re-erect a tower, but due to the ERS, the department was able to ensure completion of the work post February snowfall within just four days.
Giving details about the recent damage, the officials said that the 132 KV Mirbazar-Kulgam transmission line suffered outage due to heavy and rapid snowfall during the intervening night of February 2-23, 2022.
The heavy snowfall resulted in damage to five towers of the transmission line and consequently power supply to Kulgam and adjoining areas was cut off. The transmission line is 12 Km long and has 48 towers in all, the details available reveal.
Soon after the damages, the restoration measures were taken up by the J&K Power Transmission Corporation and temporary restoration was completed in four days.
The input power supply at 132 KV level to 100 MVA Kulgam Grid Sub-Station has been restored.
The quick restoration was possible only due to availability of ERS and other key materials and the hectic efforts of the engineers and the workers of the corporation, the officials said, adding that the ERS is a specialized temporary tower mechanism imported from Canada.
“The ERS has been procured by JKPTCL to meet any eventuality that results in damage to transmission towers. In absence of the ERS, the temporary restoration of Mirbazar-Kulgam Transmission Line would have taken at least two months and would have put the people of Kulgam and adjoining areas to severe hardships. It is for the first time in the UT of J&K that 120 feet high ERS has been used for temporary restoration,” the officials said.
“ERS are modular aluminum towers, used to quickly restore power on damaged transmission lines during the heavy snowfall, landslides, wind storms and floods as well as to facilitate scheduled maintenance work with minimal power interruption.”
“The ERS is a quick, efficient and safe tool for all transmission lines and can be installed without a concrete foundation or heavy equipment. It can be dismantled a number of times and moved to different sites as per the requirement. Keeping in view the climatic conditions in the UT, JKPTCL has procured 10 sets of ERS manufactured by M/S SBB Canada, which is a leading manufacturer worldwide.”
Officials said that the ERS has been used for various transmission lines of Kashmir and Jammu and has resulted in quick restoration of transmission lines with minimal disruption of power.