With the help of Gupta Power Infrastructure Ltd as a principal Contractor, BPC completed their first two ACCC® Conductor installations in Bhutan. The 66 kV Semtokha to Hongtsho transmission line and the 66 kV Semtokha to Dechencholing line used 242 kcmil (122.7 mm2) Silvassa size ACCC® Conductor to replace ACSR Dog size conductor initially installed in 1985. Existing steel lattice structures were used without modification. Spans included highway crossings up to 712 meters.
Bhutan Power Corporation’s projects enabled a substantial capacity increase to support the new 33/66 kV substation at Hongtsho. Hitesh Mundhada, Vice President CTC Global – South Asia stated: “The mountainous terrain made it extremely difficult to bring in men, materials and equipment, and elevation differences between adjacent towers made it very challenging for conductor pulling, but the projects were completed successfully without issue.”
ACCC Master Installers Mr. Phani Veerla and Mr. Bapi Ghosh (remotely) provided field support. ACCC® Conductor for the projects were supplied by Gupta Power and ACCC® Hardware was supplied by TAG. The ACCC Conductor’s composite core was produced by CTC at its Global headquarters in Irvine, California.
Bhutan, the birthplace of the Gross National Happiness Index, located on the eastern edge of the Himalayas is known for its monasteries, fortresses (‘Dzongs’) and dramatic landscapes that range from subtropical plains to steep mountains and valleys. Bhutan is bordered by China to the north and India to the south. Nepal and Bangladesh are located in proximity to Bhutan but do not share a land border. It is noteworthy that Bhutan absorbs roughly seven million tons of carbon dioxide annually and only produces around two million tons, due to its dense forests.
Bhutan is the 60th country in the world to successfully deploy ACCC® Conductor to improve the efficiency, capacity, reliability and resilience of the world’s electric power grid. For more information, please contact: [email protected]
