KPTCL's Collaborative Plan for Bengaluru's Power Woes
POWER & RENEWABLE ENERGY

KPTCL's Collaborative Plan for Bengaluru's Power Woes

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.?

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.?

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

DCPC Prepares for Special Campaign 5.0 with Focus on E-Waste

The Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals (DCPC), Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, is gearing up for Special Campaign 5.0, to be held from 2nd to 31st October 2025. The initiative will focus on e-waste disposal as per MoEFCC’s E-Waste Management Rules 2022, space optimisation, and enhancing workplace efficiency across field offices.Special Campaign 4.0, conducted between October 2023 and October 2024, delivered notable results in record management, grievance redressal, scrap disposal, and cleanliness drives.Key outcomes of Special Campaign 4.0Records management: 2,443 physical fil..

Next Story
Real Estate

BlackRock India Leases 1.4 Lakh Sq Ft in Bengaluru

BlackRock Services India, the domestic arm of global asset manager BlackRock, has leased 1.4 lakh sq ft of office space at IndiQube Symphony in Bengaluru, according to Propstack data. The 10-year deal is valued at around Rs 4.10 billion.The lease, among the largest transactions in India’s co-working sector, highlights the growing preference of global institutions for flexible office providers. The agreement, commencing October 1, 2025, covers ground plus five floors in KNG Tower 1 at Ashoknagar, MG Road — one of Bengaluru’s prime commercial hubs.As per the lease document, BlackRock will ..

Next Story
Infrastructure Transport

L&T Bags Rs 25–50 Bn Order for Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Track Works

Larsen & Toubro’s (L&T) Transportation Infrastructure business has secured an order valued between Rs 25 crore and Rs 50 billion from the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor.The contract, Package T1, involves the design, supply, construction, testing, and commissioning of 156 route km of high-speed ballastless track on a Design-Build Lump Sum Price basis. The stretch runs from Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex to Zaroli village in Gujarat and includes 21 km of underground track and 135 km of elevated viaduct.Se..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Talk to us?