KPTCL's Collaborative Plan for Bengaluru's Power Woes

08 Mar 2024 CW Team

Overcoming multiple hurdles, KPTCL has now proposed to collaborate with real estate developers to develop underground advanced sub-stations and support commercial activities by building multi-storey real estate spaces at its existing receiving stations in Bengaluru.

Buoyed by the success of Bescom?s Malleswaram underground transformer unit, KPTCL has also decided to set up advanced underground gas-insulated substations and take up commercial construction above the ground by collaborating with real estate developers. The innovative idea, which is still in nascent stages, was unveiled by Energy Minister KJ George before stakeholders.

In Malleswaram, Bescom has constructed a transformer unit under a pavement and ensured pedestrian space is not affected.

?Bengaluru?s energy consumption is breaking all records. Considering the investment that is coming into the city and the power demand, especially through EVs and household consumption, we need to upgrade our sub-stations to handle increased capacity. Upgradation of stations requires land that is either not available or unaffordable. Hence, we have decided to upgrade our existing air-insulated sub-stations (AIS) into GIS through a public-private-partnership model,? George explained. Throwing light on the innovative project structure, KPTCL MD Pankaj Kumar Pandey said: ?GIS stations will have lots of benefits over existing AIS ones. It will reduce carbon footprint by 70%, lower maintenance costs, reduce construction time, and ensure greater reliability and safety. With the PPP model, there won?t be any burden on consumers in the form of tariff increase.?

George said, ?The ownership of land will be with KPTCL (govt). We will only be leasing out land to the successful bidder for 35 years. While KPTCL will take up work on setting up the GIS sub-station, the bidder will develop real estate and generate income in the space above the sub-station. After the lease expires, real estate will be transferred to KPTCL.?

Lack of access to suitable land in and around Bengaluru and scarce investment are among the constraints preventing KPTCL from augmenting its transmission capacity to cater to the ever-increasing demand for quality power. Overcoming multiple hurdles, KPTCL has now proposed to collaborate with real estate developers to develop underground advanced sub-stations and support commercial activities by building multi-storey real estate spaces at its existing receiving stations in Bengaluru. Buoyed by the success of Bescom?s Malleswaram underground transformer unit, KPTCL has also decided to set up advanced underground gas-insulated substations and take up commercial construction above the ground by collaborating with real estate developers. The innovative idea, which is still in nascent stages, was unveiled by Energy Minister KJ George before stakeholders. In Malleswaram, Bescom has constructed a transformer unit under a pavement and ensured pedestrian space is not affected. ?Bengaluru?s energy consumption is breaking all records. Considering the investment that is coming into the city and the power demand, especially through EVs and household consumption, we need to upgrade our sub-stations to handle increased capacity. Upgradation of stations requires land that is either not available or unaffordable. Hence, we have decided to upgrade our existing air-insulated sub-stations (AIS) into GIS through a public-private-partnership model,? George explained. Throwing light on the innovative project structure, KPTCL MD Pankaj Kumar Pandey said: ?GIS stations will have lots of benefits over existing AIS ones. It will reduce carbon footprint by 70%, lower maintenance costs, reduce construction time, and ensure greater reliability and safety. With the PPP model, there won?t be any burden on consumers in the form of tariff increase.? George said, ?The ownership of land will be with KPTCL (govt). We will only be leasing out land to the successful bidder for 35 years. While KPTCL will take up work on setting up the GIS sub-station, the bidder will develop real estate and generate income in the space above the sub-station. After the lease expires, real estate will be transferred to KPTCL.?

Infrastructure Transport

13 Oct 2025

Tata, Airbus to Build India’s First Private Helicopter Line

In a landmark development for India’s aerospace sector, Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Airbus will establish the country’s first private-sector helicopter assembly line in Vemagal, Karnataka. The facility will manufacture the Airbus H125 and H125M, marking a significant milestone in India’s push for self-reliance in aviation and defence manufacturing. The new Final Assembly Line (FAL) will produce the H125, the world’s best-selling single-engine helicopter, known for its versatility and performance in extreme environments. The first ‘Made in India’ H125 is expected to ro..

Infrastructure Urban

13 Oct 2025

NeGD to Support Bharat Taxi in Building Cooperative Ride Platform

In a significant move for India’s digital and mobility transformation, the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) of the Digital India Corporation, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), has entered into an advisory partnership with Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited, the company behind Bharat Taxi — a first-of-its-kind, cooperative-led national ride-hailing platform. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between NeGD and Sahakar Taxi to provide strategic advisory and technical support covering key areas such as platform integration, cybersecurity..

Technology

13 Oct 2025

MeitY Hosts Pre-Summit for India–AI Impact Summit 2026

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, hosted a series of Pre-Summit events for the upcoming India–AI Impact Summit 2026 at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025 in New Delhi. These sessions mark a key milestone ahead of the main summit, scheduled for 19–20 February 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. Delivering the inaugural address, S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, highlighted India’s innovative and frugal approach to AI development. “We have adopted innovative means by learning from others’ experiences to build projects and products that..