Karimnagar has received its first indoor 33/11 kV substation, a ₹6.92 crore facility commissioned by the Telangana Northern Power Distribution Company Limited (TGNPDCL) to expand electricity infrastructure in a city where land availability is increasingly constrained.
The substation was technically charged on Tuesday by TGNPDCL chairman and managing director Karnati Varun Reddy. The utility said the facility would improve power supply reliability and reduce the load on the existing SRR, Bhagatnagar and Saptagiri substations serving Karimnagar city.
Built on just 484 square yards, the indoor substation contains a ground-floor control room and switchgear panels, while the first floor houses sub-division and section offices. It receives 33 kV power from the 132 kV Vavilalapalli and Padmanagar substations.
The facility will initially distribute electricity through six 11 kV feeders, with space for two additional feeders as demand grows. TGNPDCL said the compact design is intended to help utilities add capacity in rapidly expanding urban areas without requiring the larger land parcels generally associated with conventional outdoor substations.
The substation has two 8 MVA transformers using ester-oil technology. According to the utility, the technology provides enhanced fire safety, longer insulation life and improved efficiency under higher temperatures and heavier loads. These features are particularly relevant to substations operating in dense urban environments, where safety, space and continuity of supply are closely linked.
The facility is also integrated with Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, Intelligent Electronic Device relays and Remote Terminal Unit systems. This allows real-time monitoring and remote operations from the TGNPDCL corporate office, reducing the need for all operational interventions to be handled locally.
Reddy said indoor substations offered a sustainable solution for expanding power infrastructure in rapidly growing cities with limited land availability. He said TGNPDCL was adopting advanced technologies to meet rising electricity demand while maintaining reliable, uninterrupted and high-quality supply to consumers.
The Karimnagar project is part of a wider rollout by the utility. Similar indoor substations are under various stages of construction in the Nizamabad, Hanamkonda, Kamareddy and Khammam circles, according to TGNPDCL.
The next operational stage for the Karimnagar facility will be the integration of its planned feeder capacity with the city’s distribution network. TGNPDCL said the new installation would help meet future power requirements and reduce interruptions across urban areas under its jurisdiction.
