`

Guidelines
for
Electrical Installations

Comments on draft “Guidelines for Electrical Installations” are awaited.

Please send your valuable comments on or before 18.06.2022 to our official e-mail
([Link]@[Link]).
Note: Draft for public comments only. No reproduction/circulation
*Do not copy*
Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

Contents
[Link] Subject Page No
1 Extra High Voltage Substations 3
2 Transformer Installations 5
2.1 Outdoor Transformer Installations ( 11 kV / 433 V )
2.2 Indoor Transformer Installations (11 kV / 433 V) 6
2.3 Unitized Substation 7
2.4 Parallel Operation of Transformers 8
3 Generator Installations 11
3.1 High Voltage Generators 11
3.2 Medium Voltage Generator 12
3.3 Generators Running in Parallel 13
3.4 Portable Generator 13
3.5 Generator Mounted on Trolley, Mobile Van, and for Off- 14
shore Operations
3.6 General 15
4 Motors 16
4.1 High Voltage Motors 16
4.2 Medium Voltage Motors 17
5 Power Factor Improvement 17
6 Earthing Standards 21
7 Protection against Lightning 23
8 Switch Boards 24
9 Medium Voltage Cable 26
10 Multi Storeyed Building 31
10.1 Selection of fire pumps for high-rise building 32
11 Electrical Layout in Residential Buildings 33
12 Lifts and Escalators 33
12.1 Lifts 33
12.2 Escalators 36
13 Electrical Distribution at I T / I T related Industries 37
14 Electrification of Hospitals & Health care premises 37
15 X-Ray Installations 44
16 Neon – Sign Installations 45
17 Installation of Electric Fence Energizer 45
18 Installation of Digital Projectors in Cinema Theatres 47
19 Installation of Broad Band Cable TV 47
For availing separate LT supply for mobile / wireless phone services 48
20
at HT / High rise Building premises.
21 Installation of Solar Energy System 49
Communication /Optical Fibre Cable on Distribution Network Power 52
22
Line Supports.

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

1. Extra High Voltage Substations

1. A circuit breaker of adequate rating shall be provided after point of commencement of
supply. Regulation 35(2) (iv)
2. Circuit breakers of adequate rating shall be provided both at primary and secondary side of
all transformers except Unit Auxiliary transformers and Generator transformers Regulation
35 (3)(i)(b) & (ii)
3. Minimum safety working clearance shall be provided for bare conductors and live parts as
shown in table 1. Values given in table are for locations of altitudes up to and including
1000m. A correction factor of 1.25 percent per 100m. is to be applied for increasing the
clearance for altitudes more than 1000m. and up to 3000m. The safety working clearance is
based on an insulation height of 2.44m, which is the height of lowest point on the insulator
(where it meets the earthed metal) from the ground. Regulation 44(2)(iii)
4. Oil soak pit shall be provided for apparatus having more than 2000 liters of oil and oil
draining facility shall be provided if oil content in any one oil tank, receptacle or chamber is
more than 9000 liters. Regulation 44(2)(vii)(b)
5. All the transformers and switch gears shall be maintained in accordance with the
maintenance schedule given in the relevant code of practice of BIS as required under
Regulation 44(2) (vii)(d) and the Safety Officer under Regulation 5 shall keep a
record thereof and shall be made available to the Electrical Inspector as required under
Regulation 5(4).
6. For a Sub station or Switching station with apparatus having more than 2000 liters of oil is
installed, it should be ensured that adequate fire protection arrangement for quenching the
fire in the apparatus is provided. Regulation 44(2)(viii)
7. For transformers of 10MVA and above rating or in case of oil filled transformers of capacity
more than 2000 liters are provided ,fire fighting system as per IS 3034/1993 or nitrogen
injection fire protection system shall be provided. Transformers /reactors of 220kV & above
shall be provided with both. (Regulation 44(2)(ix) , Technical Standards for Construction of
Electrical Plants and Electric Lines) Regulations, 2010 - 43(3)(b)(ii)))
8. Cable trenches shall be filled with sand or pebbles. Otherwise cable trenches shall be
covered with non-inflammable slabs. Regulation 44(2)(xii)
9. All apparatus shall be protected against lightning and apparatus exceeding 220kV shall also
be protected against switching over voltages. Regulation 44(3)
10. Isolators and the controlling circuit breakers shall be interlocked so that isolators cannot be
operated when circuit breaker is in closed position. Regulation 45(1)(i)
11. Isolators and the corresponding earthing switches shall be interlocked in such a way that
earthing switch can be closed only if isolator is open. Regulation 45(1)(ii)
12. When two or more transformers operate in parallel, system shall be arranged so as to trip
the secondary breaker of a transformer in case the primary breaker of that transformer trips
Regulation 45(1)(iv)
13. Minimum protections as shown below shall be provided for lines, transformers, reactors and
bus bars.
(Central Electricity Authority (Technical Standards for Construction of Electrical Plants and
Electric Lines) Regulations, 2010 )
(1) Transmission Lines
a) Distance protection relays
b) Over current and earth fault relays
c) Over voltage, two stage - above 220kV
d) Auto reclosing -
• 220kV & above – single phase & three phase

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

• 66kV to 132kV – three phase

(2) Transformers (EHV)
a) Differential
b) REF
c) Over fluxing – 132kV & above
d) Over current & Earth Fault at H.V. & L.V. side. Better to have both instantaneous
and IDMT elements in primary side for short Circuit protection.
e) Buchholz & winding and oil temperature alarm and tripping & MOG with alarm,
OSR, PRD & Surge arrestor on both primary and secondary side located outdoor
and connected to overhead lines.
f) Tertiary winding protection – 132kV & above
g) Over load alarm - 132kV & above
h) over voltage protection if automatic on load tap changing is adopted. ( protection
against out of step tap changing)
(3) Reactors – 400kV & above
a) Differential
b) REF
c) O/C & E/F
d) Buchholz & WTI and OTI & MOG with alarm, & Surge arrestor ( if required)
(4) Bus bar protection
a) High speed differential protection with local breaker back up for 220kV & above
14. Over current and earth fault relays having high set elements shall be provided for HV
feeders.
15. Every generating station and sub-station connected to the grid at 220kV and above shall be
provided with disturbance recording and event logging facilities and all such equipment shall
be provided with time synchronization facility for global common time reference but wherever
numerical relays with provision of recording fault data are installed disturbance recorder and
event logger may not be installed.
16. There shall be no tapping of another transmission line from the main line for 66kV and above
class of lines.
17. Failures of transformers and reactors of 20MVA and above shall be reported to the Electrical
Inspector and Central Electricity Authority within 48 hours of occurrence of the failure.
Reasons for failure and measures taken to prevent it in future shall be reported to Electrical
Inspector and Central Electricity Authority within one month. Regulation 46(8)
18. Earth mat shall be provided in EHV substations to limit touch-voltage and step voltage to
tolerable and safe values. Regulation 48
19. Fire buckets filled with sand, fire extinguishers and first aid boxes, artificial respiration charts
etc shall be provided in substation. If transformer capacity is 5MVA and above gas masks
shall also be provided. Artificial respirator shall also be provided in every manned substation.
Regulation 27, 28
20. Fencing shall be provided for outdoor substations. Regulation 12
21. Breakers in the yard shall have remote and local operation facility.
22. If there is more than one incomer, isolators shall be provided at both sides of line breakers.
23. All outgoing feeders shall be controlled by breakers.
24. Granite jelly of 45 mm size shall be spread to a thickness of 150 mm uniformly in the yard
and extended to outside the fencing to a minimum width of 1m.
25. Separate cable trenches shall be provided for power cables and control cables. If not
possible these shall be laid in same cable trench in different racks.
26. Battery room shall be separated and only flame proof fittings shall be used there if lead acid
type batteries are used. Exhaustible fan shall be provided as per IS 3043.

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

27. Breaking current rating of breakers shall be minimum 31.5kA for 66 & 110kV and 40kA for
220kV & above –Regulation 41(1)
28. Earthing shall be designed for fault current of minimum 31.5kA for 66kV & 110kV and 40kA
for 220kV & above – Regulation 42(5)
29. Surge arrestors shall be provided with surge counters & leakage current monitors -
Regulation 43(2)(g)
30. Disconnectors of 220kV & above shall have provision for remote & manual operation. Only
local operation is recommended for earthing switches. – Regulation 43(2)(d)
31. Two trip coils shall be provided for circuit breakers of 132kV & above - Regulation 43(2(c)(i)
32. Smoke detectors with alarm shall be provided in control room –Regulation 43(3)(b)(iii)
33. Oil evacuating, filtering, testing and filling apparatus shall be provided. - Regulation 43(3)(e)
34. SF6 filling, evacuation, filtering, & recycling plant shall be provided.- Regulation 43(3)(f)
35. PLCC shall be provided for each transmission line of 132kV & above. - Regulation 43(4)(e)
36. Diagnostic equipments like dissolve gas analyzer, winding resistance meter, frequency
response analyzer, capacitance & tan-delta measuring units, contact resistance meter, leakage
current monitor, relay test kit etc shall be provided in sub-stations of 132kV & above. -
Regulation 46

[Link] Installations

[Link] Transformer Installations ( 11 kV / 433 V )

1. Minimum clearance between supplier’s and consumer’s 11 kV structures shall be 3m. If it is 5
m or less they should be braced together both at top and middle.
2. Minimum size of RSJ poles shall be 175 x 85 mm. Channels shall be of minimum 75 x 50 mm.
3. Phase to phase and phase to earth clearances at AB switch shall be minimum 915mm and
610mm respectively.
4. Minimum size of 11 kV jumpers shall be Number ‘0’ SWG copper.
5. Maximum length of unsupported 11 kV jumpers shall be 2.44 m for solid conductors and 1.5
m for stranded conductors.
6. Minimum safety working clearance of 2.6 m shall be maintained for bare conductors and live
parts.
7. Lightning arrestors shall be provided between AB switch and D.O. / H.G. fuse.
8. Group control AB switch shall be provided for multiple transformer installations.
9. The minimum clearance from ground to the 11kV bushings of the transformers shall be 2.6m
for plinth.
10. AB switch operating handle shall be fixed at a height of 1m to 1.25m from ground level kept
under lock and key
11. 11 kV AB switch shall be three insulator type.
12. Fencing with a height of 1.8m shall be provided, keeping a minimum clearance of 1.25m from
the transformer body.
13. Minimum clearance between 11 kV up and down jumpers shall be 75 cm.
14. Outdoor transformer is not permitted in corporation areas and at the premises of high-rise
apartment buildings. However outdoor transformers with cable end boxes at both sides and
indoor breaker / SFU at primary side may be permitted judiciously.
15. If two or more transformers are installed side by side, they shall be separated by fire-
separation walls. Fire separation walls are deemed to be adequate from fire-safety point of
view, even if oil capacity of individual transformers do not exceed 2000litres, and total

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

capacity of all transformers installed side by side exceeds 2000 litres. ( IS 10028 Part 2
,clause 3.6.2).
16 As per Electrical Transformer (Quality Controller) Order, 2014 oil filled transformer is an
equipment which requires mandatory ISI marking.

[Link] Transformer Installations (11 kV / 433 V)

1. Only dry type transformers shall be installed inside residential/commercial buildings.
Regulation 44(2)vii(e)
2. Oil filled transformers are permitted outside residential and commercial buildings subject to
the following conditions.
(a) The substation building shall be of weatherproof and fire proof construction. Walls shall
be of 355mm thick brick or 230mm thick RCC. If there is any window/door opening towards
the residential/commercial building, there shall be a fire resistant wall between the
substation building and residential/commercial building keeping a minimum clear distance
of 1.5m from both the buildings.
3. Oil filled transformers installed indoors in other than residential or commercial buildings
shall be placed at the ground floor or not below the first basement; Regulation 44(2) (xi)
4. ABSF unit / VCB shall be provided at primary side. At hospital premises breaker shall be
recommended.
5. Size of cable at 11kV side shall be based on actual short circuit current but minimum size
shall be [Link] A2XFY.
6. Fire separation walls shall be provided in between oil filled transformers. Thickness of the
wall shall be minimum 30cm (Brick) or 20cm (RCC)
7. Oil filled transformers shall be segregated from HT and MV switchgears using fire
separation wall.
8. Oil drainage facility / soak pits shall be insisted for oil filled transformers if quantity of oil is
more than 2000 liters.
9. All-round clearance shall be provided for indoor transformers. Minimum clearance from
walls shall be 1.25m, 1m, 0.75m and 0.5m if walls are provided at 4 sides,3 sides, 2 sides
and one side respectively. (IS 10028 Part 2 Cl. [Link])
10. Transformers shall be installed at the periphery of the building for getting easy access and
adequate ventilation.
11. Doors and windows of transformer room shall be of non-inflammable materials and the door
of electrical room shall open outwards.
12. Minimum 50cm headroom clearance shall be provided for the transformer. (IS 10028 clause
[Link])
13. If dry type transformers are installed above ground level in multi-storied building, 11kV
ABSFU/Breaker shall be provided at ground floor. Structural fitness certificate from a
competent structural engineer shall also be furnished.
14. Minimum phase to phase and phase to earth clearance of bus bars in 11 kV panel shall be
130 mm and 80 mm respectively.
15. Minimum 1.0 meter clear space shall be available in front of H.T panel in breaker drawn out
position.

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

2.3. Unitized Substation

1. Transformer shall be dry type or hermetically sealed type of rating below 1000kVA.
Switchgear attached shall not be oil filled type.
2. Transformer and control gears in the Unitized Sub-Stations shall be clearly segregated
using metallic / FRP barriers. If the transfomer is of oil filed, FRP barrier cannot be
permitted.
3. Earthing switch if any attached to the 11kV ABSF unit shall be at the outgoing side. This
earthing switch and the 11kV ABSF unit shall be properly interlocked to prevent accidental
closing of earthing switch when ABSF unit is in the ON position.
4. There shall be proper interlocking to prevent opening of the enclosure of the unit when the
11kV control gear is in the ‘ON’ position.
5. There shall be a metallic / FRP barrier between supply incoming live parts and HRC fuse
units in ABSF unit.
6. The incoming supply shall preferably be connected to the fixed contact of 11kV ABSF unit.
7. The interconnection between transformer and control gear shall be with rigid strips/XLPE
cable of adequate normal current rating and short time current rating.
8. Phase to phase clearance of 11kV interconnecting strips shall be minimum 13cm and phase
to earth clearance shall be minimum 8cm.
9. 11kV control gear and tap changer of the transformer shall be properly interlocked to
prevent changing of tap position when 11kV control gear is in the ON position.
10. If potential transformer is provided in the unit, separate chamber shall be provided for
housing the same.
11. Seal off bushings shall be provided when 11kV buses passes from one chamber to another.

General
1. If there are more than one transformer and aggregate transformer capacity exceeds
1000kVA,a circuit breaker of adequate rating shall be provided after point of commencement
of supply. Regulation 35(2)(ii)
2. Minimum 1.5m clearance shall be provided between dry type transformer and D.G. set with
acoustic enclosure .
3. Minimum 2 m clearance shall be provided between two dry type transformers installed in the
same room.
4. Baffle wall of 4 hrs fire rating shall be provided between apparatus having more than 2000
liters of oil
(i) at consumers’ premises.
(ii) single phase transformer banks
(iii) where adequate clearance is not available.” – Regulation 44(2)(vii)(a)

Note :- Adequate clearance required according to clause 7.11 of I.S.1646-1997 is as given

below
Oil in individual transformer Clearance required (from any building
including substation)
2000 liters to 5000 liters Minimum 6 M
5000 liters to 20000 liters 8M
More than 20000 liters 15 M
.
5. Transformer installation shall conform to I.S. 10028 (Part II) – 1981.
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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

General
6. Earthing shall conform to I.S.3043 – 2018.
7. Minimum values of insulation resistance of transformer shall be as given in Table 2.
8. Minimum size of cables laid underground at secondary side of transformers are given in Table
3.
9. Minimum protections required for transformers of different ratings are given in Table 4.
10. Transformer oil shall conform to standards given in Table 13.
11. Maximum rating of 11kV/433V transformers may be 2500kVA
12. M.V. side installation shall conform to I.S.732 – 2019
13. Current rating of 11kV, XLPE, cables are given in Table 14.
14. For CSS installed along walk ways ,play grounds etc .,a fencing or barrier with materials like
wire mesh shall be provided at the distance of 0.75m from CSS. The fencing shall be earthed
(NBC,Part8,52 4.2.1(16)).
15. Neutral conductor shall be of the same size as the phase conductor, if 3rd harmonic currents
are anticipated .
16. A comprehensive fire detection, alarm as well as fire protection system shall be installed for
the Sub- station and Switch yard in conformity with relevant IS. CEA ((Technical Standards
for Construction of Electrical Plants and Electric Lines), Regulations, 2010 43(3)(b)
17. a). Tapping from the HT feeder shall be taken to the fixed contact of the AB Switch
b). Bucket loop arrangement shall be used for the tapping. PG clamps shall be used when
conductor materials are different
c). Double break type AB Switches shall be used when AB Switch is intended to be used as
interlinking AB Switch.
18. Substation shall not be located immediately above or below plumbing water tanks or sewage
(Clause [Link] of Part 8 NBC )
19. All door openings from substation, electrical rooms, etc, should open outwards. Vertical
shutters (like fire rated rolling shutters, grilled preferably) may also be acceptable provided
they are combined with a single leaf door opening outwards for exit in case of emergency. For
large substation room/electrical room having multiple equipment, two or more doors shall be
provided which shall be remotely located from each other.
Clause [Link] of Part 8 NBC
20. In case of HV panel / main MV/ LV panel and transformers located at different floors or at a
distance more than 20 m, HV isolator /remote push button with lockable facility shall be
provided at transformer end . Clause 4.2.1 and 4.2.2 of Part 8 NBC

[Link] Operation of Transformers

1. Identical phase displacement for all transformers.
2. Same voltage ratio for all transformers.
3. Equal percentage impedance, with in permissible tolerance, for all transformers.
4. The rated output of smallest transformer in the group shall not be less than 33 percent of the
rated output of the largest transformer in the group.
5. Provided the polarities of the winding correspond transformers with the following connections
operate satisfactorily in parallel. Connections in Group A shall not be paralleled with those in
Group B.
6. Group A - Star/star, delta/delta and delta/zig-zag
Group B - Delta/star, star /delta and star/zig-zag

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 Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

7. Transformers designed for parallel operation shall not be required to divide the load within
limits closer than to permit an individual variation from the rated output of any transformer of
the group amounting to +10 percent of such rated output when the total load on the group is
equal to the sum of the rated outputs of all the transformers so connected.
8. When connecting a new transformer, care should be taken to do so in accordance with the
diagram of connections supplied by the manufacturer and of the correct phase sequence of
the supply.
9. Reverse power relay shall be provided for transformers.
10. The system shall be arranged so as to trip the secondary breaker of a transformer in case the
primary breaker of that transformer trips. Regulation 45(1)(iv)

Table - 1
Minimum Safety Working Clearance for Bare Conductors or Live parts in Outdoor Substation - R 44
(2) (iii) Schedule VII
Highest System
12 36 72.5 145 245 420 800
Voltage- kV
Safety working
Clearance - 2.6 2.8 3.1 3.7 4.3 6.4 10.3
(Meters)

Table - 2
Minimum IR values at 300 C for new oil filled transformers
Related Voltage <6.6kV 6.6kV-22kV 33kV >66kV 415Volts
Value in Mega Ohms 200 300 400 500 100
1. IR Values in oil-drained condition shall be 15 to 20 times more than that in oil filled condition.
2. Polarization index (IR at 10 minutes/IR at One minute) shall be more than 1.5

Table – 3
Cables on Secondary Side of Transformers(11kV/433V)
Capacity of Secondary Current Minimum size of
Transformer AYFY cable
(kVA) (A) (mm2)
63 84 50
100 133.3 95(2*50)
160 213.3 185(2*95)
200 266.6 300(2*120)
250 333 (2*185)
315 420 (2*300) or(3*185) or equivalent
400 533 (3*300) or(2*400) or equivalent
500 666.5 (3*400) or (4*240) or equivalent
630 840 (4*400) or equivalent
800 1067 Bus bar Trunking/(4*400)[Link] A2XFY
1000 1333 Bus bar Trunking/(4*400)[Link] YFY
1250 1667 Bus bar Trunking/(4*400)[Link] 2XFY
1600 2133 Bus bar Trunking
2000 2666 Bus bar Trunking

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

Table 4
Protection of Transformers 11kV/433V
Method of Primary control and Secondary control and protection
Rating installation protection
MCCB having isolation duty• and E/F
Up to and release and standby Low set E/F relay using CT
including Outdoor A.B. switch, lightning at neutral earthing conductor or ACB with proper
400kVA arrestor, D.O. fuse current setting facility with 3 O/C and 1 E/ F
release.
MCCB having isolation duty 3 O//C and E/F
ABSF unit or VCB/
Up to and releases or ACB with proper current setting
GCB with 2 O/C and
including Indoor facility with 3 O/C and 1 E/ F release. stand by
1 E/F relays preferably
400kVA low set E/F relay using CT at neutral earthing
with DC trip
strip
ACB draw out type with 3 O/C & 1 E/F release
Above and stand by low set E/F relay usingCT at
400kVA and A.B. switch, lightning neutral earthing conductor.
Outdoor
below arrestor, D.O. fuse **For transformers up to 630kVA, MCCB(rack
1000kVA out type) having isolation duty is permitted
instead of ACB
ACB draw out type with 3 O/C & 1 E/F release
Above ABSF unit or VCB / and standby low set EIF relay using CT at
400kVA and GCB with 2 or 3 O/C neutral earthing conductor.
Indoor
below and 1 E/F relays with **For transformers up to 630kVA, MCCB(rack
1000kVA DC trip out type) having isolation duty is permitted
instead of ACB
ACB draw out type with 3 O/C and
VCB/GCB with 1 EIF release, stand by low set E/F relay with
2 or 3 O/C relays with CT a t neutral earthing strip,. If breaker is
high set elements , incorporated with micro processor based
1000kVA one instantaneous E/F programmable releases 2 O/C and 1 E/F relay
Indoor relay, Buchholz relay, may be avoided.
and above
oil' and winding
temperature relays with *REF protection relay with primary trip shall be
alarm and trip. . provided for transformers of rating above
1600kVA.

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

3. Generator Installations
3.1 HV Generators
1. Neutral of the generator may be earthed through NGR or earthing transformer. NGR shall be
rated for 10 second or maximum tripping time on earth fault whichever is higher.
2. VCB / GCB with DC trip shall be provided for generator control.
3. Acoustic arrangements shall be provided for generator sets according to CPCB/SPCB norms.
4. Following meters shall be provided in the control panel.
(a) Ammeters
(b) Voltmeter
(c) Frequency meter
(d) kW meter
(e) kWh meter
(f) kVA meter
(g) kVAr meter
(h) P.F. meter
(i) Winding temperature indicator
(j) Bearing temperature indicator (above 3MW)
5. Following protections shall be provided for HV generators
(a) Voltage restraint O/C relay
(b) E/F Relay
(c) Standby E/F relay using CT in neutral earthing conductor
(d) Over voltage relay.
(e) Under voltage relay
(f) REF / Differential relay
(g) Negative sequence relay
(h) Rotor E/F relay (above 3MW)
(i) Field Failure relay (above 3MW)
(j) Winding temperature high, alarm and trip
(k) Vector surge relay (when connected to grid
(l) Reverse Power and Reverse reactive Power relays (when running parallel or connected
to grid)
(m) Synchro-check relay (When running parallel or connected to grid)
(n) Under current relay may also be included for generators connected to grid
6. Following protections shall be provided for Diesel Engine
(1) High vibration (above 3MW) - alarm and trip (Max: 7mm/s)
(2) High bearing temperature (above 3MW) - alarm and trip (Max: 950C)
(3) Over speed and under speed - alarm and trip
(4) Jacket water temperature high - alarm and trip (Max: 950C)
(5) Lubricating oil temperature high - alarm and trip (Max: 650C)
(6) Lubricating oil pressure low - alarm and trip (Min: 2.5 bar)
(7) Low fuel level alarm

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

3.2 Medium Voltage Generators

For generators of 10kVA to 30kVA rating completion report and single line diagram shall be
submitted with a certification by the owner and the contractor stating that the electrical
1. installation work is carried out by using change over switch, cable, MCB, etc. of standard make
and with ISI mark for issuing the sanction for energisation. For generators above 30kVA prior
scheme approval shall be obtained.
2. Minimum 1m clearances shall be provided on three sides of a generator set. When two
generator sets are installed side-by-side, minimum 2.0 m clearance shall be provided between
them.
3. Fuel tank of DG sets shall be installed outside the generator room if does not have built-in fuel
tank.
4. Exhaust pipe of DG sets shall maintain a minimum height of 1.8 m clearance from floor level
and shall be extended to a height of at least 1m above the building.
5. Voltmeters and frequency meter shall be connected before the breaker in generator control
panel.
6. Watt-hour meter and ammeters in each phase shall also be provided in GCP. For generators of
500 kVA and above, kVA/KW meter and P.F. meter shall also be provided.
7. Change over switches of approved make is permitted up to and including 1250A.
8. Above 1250A, breakers with castle key interlock shall be provided.
9. Auto transfer switch of adequate ampere rating and having lockable OFF position may be
permitted for supply change over
10. Separate isolators shall be provided before the COS, if it has no off position.
11. U/V coil may be provided at grid side ACB/MCCB on respective switch boards at installations
where generators are installed for preventing chances of back feeding from generators to grid
side.
12. When generator is directly connected to the main bus, it may not be possible some-times to
maintain grading of outlets. Stipulation with respect to maximum single motor rating is also
difficult to insist. Generator capacity can be deemed as sufficient even if it is called upon to
start induction motors of 60% of its rating, provided suitable starters are employed for limiting
starting current, and grading is affected. However in such cases, it should be ensured that
generator is not getting over-loaded which can be achieved by providing thermal O/L protection
in the generator circuit.
13. Generator room shall be made of non-inflammable materials.
14. Three pole inter locked breakers/ isolators are permitted for supply change over, provided
neutral of all sources is earthed at neutral bus in the panel.
15. CPCB approved type Acoustic enclosure shall be provided for all generators. For generators
without inbuilt enclosure arrangements, room acoustic shall be provided.
16. Protections required, standard size of cables and earthing conductors for generators are given
in Table 5.
17. Electricity duty @ Rs 2/kVA is payable for generators up to and including 10kVA rating. For
generators above 10kVA electricity duty is 1.2 Paise/unit.
18. The generator sets should not be allowed to be installed above the ground floor or below first
basement level of the building. There shall be provision of separate direct escape and entry
into these areas from outside in case of fire.

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

3.3 Generators Running in Parallel

1. P.F. meters shall be provided in generator control panels. For 1MVA and above generators kVA
and kVAr meters shall be provided.
2.
Reverse power relays shall be provided for generators. For 1MVA and above generators
Reverse Reactive Power relays shall also be provided.
Neutral switching facility shall be provided. Interlock shall be provided to ensure that the
3. generator breaker cannot be closed unless one of the neutral is connected to the earthing
system
4. Neutral of largest capacity generator shall only be connected to the system.
5.
Neutral of largest capacity generator shall only be earthed. Neutrals of other
generators, running in parallel, shall be in floating condition.
6.
Also ensure that generator breakers can be made ‘ON’ only if functional neutral is earthed and
closed.
7.
Synchronising breakers and neutral switches / contactors shall be electrically operating type
having remote switching facility.
8. There shall be facility for remote control of generator voltage and engine speed.
9. Double frequency meter and double voltmeter shall be provided in synchronising panel.
10.
For generators of one MVA and above synchro check relay shall also be provided in
synchronising panel.
11.
Switch ratings, cable sizes, earthing conductor sizes etc shall be designed considering fault
current contribution by all generators running in parallel.
12. Bus bars shall be designed for maximum current during parallel running.

3.4 Portable Generators

1. Generators up to 10kVA in rating are treated as portable generators.
2. A residual current device (ELCB) having an operating time of 20 ms at a residual current of
30mA shall be provided.
3. (a)In single-phase generators one terminal shall be connected to earth and designated as the
neutral.
(b)Three-phase generators should have their windings connected in star, with the star
connection made available and connected to earth.
4. All the exposed metal work of the generator should be adequately connected to the earth
terminal.
5. T The installation where both licensee/KSEBL supply and DG supply are available, change over
switch(COS) with adequate rating shall be provided, such a way that 4 pole COS for 3 phase
and 2 pole for single phase applications.
6. The supply from a single-phase generator can be changed over to a 3-phase supply system
through a 4-pole change over switch subject to the following conditions.
(a) The neutral conductors of the load side and generator side should be of adequate capacity
to carry the total current in the neutral.
(b) The 3 poles in the 4 pole change over switch shall be linked by using rigid conductors of
adequate short circuit and continuous current rating capacity.
(c) The copper strip/rigid conductors used for linking the poles should be insulated by using
tapes or sleeves.
7. Shielding should be provided when the generator is kept exposed to weather.
8. Electricity duty @ Rs.2/- per kVA per year shall be levied for portable generators. Duty shall be
payable for five years period.
9. Portable generators shall be kept at a place, sufficiently ventilated so as to avoid possible
hazards due to the accumulation of smoke and pollution
10. In the case of single phase generators, the size of the earthing conductor shall be of
equivalent size of phase conductor.

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

3.5 Generator mounted on Trolley, Mobile Van, and for Off Shore Operation.
1. The platform shall be structurally strong and stable.
A minimum clearance of 1m shall be available between the generator set and its control panel
2.
for easy operation.
Permanent cabling shall be provided between the generator and control panel. The cable shall
3.
be glanded at both ends and firmly clamped on to the platform.
MCB/MCCB rated at the full load current of the generator shall be provided in the control panel
for the protection of the generator. An energy meter of adequate rating shall be mounted on
4. the control panel for recording the energy generated. Energy meter should be got tested and
sealed by Electrical Inspectorate / KSEBL. Voltmeters and ammeters shall be mounted on the
control panel.
Adequate lighting shall be provided inside the cabin. A few lamps shall be connected to the
5.
battery of the vehicle for lighting when the generator is not in operation.
The light wiring inside the vehicle shall be of permanent nature and done through electrical
6.
grade conductors or by using armored cables.
(a) In the case of D.G. sets which are used as a standby source to be changed over to an
7. earthed system or vice versa the neutral and body of the generator shall be earthed to 2
separate and distinct earth electrodes as per standards.
(b) An equipotential bonding conductor shall be formed in the vehicle/carriage by inter-
connecting the generator, engine, control panel and other metallic parts of the carriage
with conductor of adequate size.
(c) The equipotential bonding conductor shall be connected to the ground earth electrode
system. 2 Nos earth electrodes of 38 mm. diameter and 2.5 m length with necessary
interconnecting earthing conductors shall be kept in the van/carriage for driving the earth
electrodes at places where the supply is used as a standby.
In the case of generator sets in which supply is used as an isolated/separate source, earthing
to the ground is not required. But continuity conductors shall be taken from the equipotential
8.
bonding conductor of the vehicle carriage, for the return of the fault current. The neutral and
body of the generator shall be connected to the chassis/ equipotential-bonding conductor.
(a) Where supply is extended for off-shore works in dredgers, pontoons etc. earth
9. grid/equipotential bonding conductor of the dredger, pontoon etc. shall be connected to the
generator earthing system provided on the shore with insulated conductor of adequate
size.
(b) Alternately one core of the 4-core cable to the generator from the offshore equipment shall
be treated as earthing conductor.
(c) The generator body and neutral shall be connected to at least 3 earth electrodes as per
standards. For marine applications, only marine cables shall be used for extending supply
to the offshore carriage.
Distribution from the generator control panel to the actual load center shall be taken through
joint less insulated and tough sheathed PVC cable or weather proof cables or through armored
10.
cables laid properly. The sub-switch boards shall be earthed as per standards by running earth
continuity conductors.
Suitable ELCBs shall be provided for each feeder separately or as a group for protection
11.
against earth leakage.
Sub switch boards and DBs shall be installed as per Regulation 37 and temporary wiring, if
12.
any used shall conform to G.O. (Ms.) 795/85/RD date. 20-8-1985.
At least one 5 kg. DCP type fire extinguisher and 2 Nos. fire buckets filled with dry sand shall
13.
be kept in the mobile van or vehicle.
The mobile unit shall be parked sufficiently away from crowded areas, temporary thatched
14.
sheds, and hazardous areas.
In case the mobile van is used solely for carrying D.G. set and the control gears, a safety
15. certificate, valid for one year shall be obtained from the Electrical Inspector of the area where
the unit is used and it shall be displayed in the van.

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

A competent operator possessing a valid wireman permit issued by the K.S.E.L Board shall be
16.
in the charge of the installation when the D.G. set is in operation.

3.6 General
Based on the protections given, generators may be divided into three categories.
Below 100kVA -Small generators
1 100 kVA - below1000kVA -Medium generators
1000kVA and above -Large generators
Generating station with more than one Generator with capacity of 5MW and above is installed
in a power station, each generator shall be provided with at least two separate gas masks in an
accessible and conspicuous place. If the Generator is to be installed in a raised platform, then
2 1. Stability certificate from the chartered structural Engineer shall be required.
2. Fuel drain facility should be provided.
3. Emergency engine stop should be provided at the ground level.
4. There should not be any passage underneath the structure.
For generators up to 30kVA, manufacturer's test certificate shall be accepted for energy
3
meters.
For PWD work, structural stability certificate shall be submitted by a civil engineer of the
4 department not below the rank of Assistant Engineer.
If D.G Sets above 600kVA are provided with AMF Logic and Synchronising Logic with the
5 Engine and Alternator protections, as a part of the Engine Controller, in such cases additional
logic and protection systems need not be insisted to be provided in the PCC.
In Sandwitch Bus Trunking, internal grounding conductors are available which work as its
6 protective Earthing. Therefore, separate parallel Earth conductors need not be insisted for
such Bus Trunkings.

Table - 5
Size of Cables, Earthing conductors and protection of Generators
Generator Full load Cable size Earth Panel
Capacity Current AYFY conductor Protection meters
kVA rating mm2 size
A mm2/SWG
5 7 4 8.3/10 MCB/MCCB
7.5 10.5 4 8.3/10 MCB/MCCB
10 14 4 8.3/10 MCB/MCCB
12.5 17.5 6 8.3/10 MCB/MCCB
15 21 10 8.3/10 MCB/MCCB
20 28 10 8.3/10 MCB/MCCB
25 35 16 18.6/6 MCB/MCCB
30 42 16 18.6/6 MCB/MCCB
35 49 25 18.6/6 MCB/MCCB AM,VM,
40 56 35 27.27/4 MCB/MCCB FM&EM
45 63 35 27.27/4 MCB/MCCB
50 70 35 27.27/4 MCB/MCCB
63 88 50 27.27/4 MCB/MCCB
75 105 95 25x3 MCB/MCCB
82.5 115 95 25x3 MCB/MCCB
100 140 120 25x3
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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

125 175 150 25x3

160 224 185 25x3 MCCB + standby low
180 252 185 25x3 set earth fault relay AM,VM,
200 280 2x120 25x3 using CT in neutral FM&EM
225 315 2x120 25x3 earthing conductor
250 350 2x185 25x3
320 448 2x300 25x3
400 560 2x400 25x3
500 700 3x400 25x3 ACB with overload AM,VM,
625 875 4x400 25x3 and E/F release and FM, EM,
4 x400 YFY or stand by low set PFM,
750 1050 4 x400 Al 25x3 earth fault relay kVAM or
XLPE cable or using CT in neutral kWM
Bus Trunking. earthing
conductor
1000 kVA ACB with thermal O/L, voltage controlled O/C relay, over voltage, under
and above, voltage, negative sequence, low set stand by earth fault relays and
REF/Differential relay with fuel shut off facilities. Over speed protection shall
be provided for the engine.

4. Motors
4.1. H V Motors
Cables shall be rated for appropriate voltage and current. Cables shall have adequate short
1.
circuit current rating also.
Contactors used for HV motors shall be vacuum type and rated for appropriate voltage and
2.
current
Contactors shall be AC - 2, AC - 3 or AC - 4 types depending upon type of motor and mode of
3.
operation.
For auto transformer starting, the auto transformer shall be completely isolated from supply
4.
during normal running of motor.
Local supply isolation facility with locking arrangement at OFF position shall be provided with in
5.
3m from the motor.
6. Protections against the following shall be provided for HV motors.
(a) Thermal over load
(b) Short circuit
(c) Locked Rotor
(d) Earth Fault
(e) Under voltage
(f) Negative sequence
(g) Reverse phase sequence
(h) Prolonged start
(i) Repeat start
(j) Loss of load

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

4.2. MV Motors
1. Isolation facility with lockable feature in OFF position shall be provided for all motors with in 3 m.
Contactors used for motors shall be AC-3 or AC-4 type depending upon type of motor and mode
2.
of operation.
Motors shall conform to the Ingress Protection (IP) classification recommended for the particular
3.
location / function.
4. Maximum earth resistance at HT premises shall be limited to 1 ohm.(IS 3043, clause 25.1)
Recommended capacitor rating for direct connection to induction motors are given in
5.
Table 8.

5. Power Factor Improvement

1 Advantages:
Reduced energy bill 3. Reduced energy loss in cable
Increase of system capacity. 4. Reduced cable size, transformer and switch gear rating
2 Methods of pf improvement:-
Provide shunt capacitors – for small & medium industries.
Sychronous motors – for large industries.
3 Selection of capacitors.
Motor – capacitor current shall not exceed the no load current of motor
(90% of no load current is taken) Capacitor rating Qc = 0.9x 3xUNIo
4 Methods of connection
Individual compensation – capacitors are directly connected to each motor where large single
motor loads are used.
Centralized compensation – capacitor banks with APFC relay, connected directly to bus – when
there are large numbers of small motors.
Combined compensation – capacitors connected directly to large motors and centralized
compensation capacitor banks for other inductive loads - most suitable.

Important points regarding capacitor selection and compensation:

1. Never connect the capacitor directly to the motor when solid state starters are used.
Never disconnect discharging resistors from capacitor terminals unless zero cross switching is
2.
used.
Charged capacitors connected to same bus bar discharges instantaneously to uncharged
3. capacitor at the time of switching on with very high inrush current. This should be taken care
while designing APFC panel.
4. Harmonics can reduce the life of capacitor. Proper filters shall be provided at such units.
In installations where harmonics exceeds the permissible limit Series block reactor shall be
5.
provided along with the power factor correction capacitor.
Breakers / Switches used for controlling capacitors shall be preferably rated to 2times the
6.
normal current of capacitors.
7. Contactors used for controlling capacitor banks shall have required capacitor switching duty.
8. Backup fuses shall be 1.5 times the normal current of capacitors.
Generator supply shall not be connected to capacitor banks alone. Capacitors shall be
9. connected to generator circuit only after the other loads are connected. This may be achieved
by providing Contactors for controlling capacitors.
10. Ammeters shall be provided in each phase for capacitor bank feeders.
11. Recommended cable size and backup fuses for capacitor feeders are given in Table 9.
12. Approximate values of capacitors for direct connection to welding transformers are given in

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

Table 10.
13. Losses in capacitors are tabulated in Table 11.
Approximate capacitor ratings for required degree of power factor correction are given in Table
14.
12.

Table-6
Standard size of cables and Backup Fuse Rating for Motors
Motor Rating Approx full Backup fuse rating Cable
load current size AYFY
KW HP A DOL Assisted mm2
0.75 1 1.8 6 - 4
1.50 2 3.5 10 - 4
2.25 3 5.0 16 - 4
3.75 5 7.5 25 - 4
5.50 7.5 11.0 32 25 6
7.5 10 14.0 32 25 6
9.3 12.5 18.0 50 32 10
11.2 15 21.0 50 32 10
15.0 20 28.0 63 50 16
18.7 25 36.0 80 63 25
22.5 30 40.0 100 63 25
26.0 35 47.0 120 100 35
30.0 40 55.0 120 100 35
37.5 50 66.0 160 100 50
45.0 60 80.0 200 120 70
55.0 75 95.0 200 120 95
59.0 80 105.0 250 200 150
67.0 90 118.0 250 200 185
75.0 100 135.0 250 200 185
90.0 125 165.0 320 250 240
110.0 150 200.0 350 320 300
131.0 175 230.0 400 320 2*150
150.0 200 270.0 500 350 2*185
185.0 250 325.0 600 500 2*240

For motors of rating 250 HP and above, breaker shall be provided and
following protections
shall be incorporated
(a) Thermal O/L (b) Short circuit
(b) Earth fault (d) Negative sequence
(c) Under Voltage (f) Locked rotor

Table-7
Minimum cross-sectional area of Protective Conductors
(IS3043:2018)
Cross sectional area of Phase conductor Minimum cross-sectional area of the
S mm2 corresponding protective conductor

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

S<16 S
16<S<35 16
S>35 (I√t)/k (IS 3043 clause [Link])

Table-8
Recommended Maximum Capacitor rating for direct connection
To Induction Motors in kVAr
Motor Capacitor rating for motor speed in rpm
HP/kW 3000 1500 1000 750 600 500
3/2.5 1 1 1.5 2 2.5 2.5
5/3.7 2 2 2.5 3.5 4 4
7.5/5.7 2.5 3 3.5 4.5 5 5.5
10/7.5 3 4 4.5 5.5 6 6.5
15/11.2 4 5 6.7 7.5 8.5 9
20/15 5 6 7 9 11 12
25/18.7 6 7 9 10.5 13 14.5
30/22.8 7 8 10 12 15 17
50/37 11 12.5 16 18 23 25
75/57 16 17 21 23 29 32
100/75 21 17 21 23 29 32
130/102 31 33 36 38 48 55
200/150 40 42 45 47 60 67
250/187 46 50 53 55 68 76

Table - 9
Recommended cable size for group power factor improvement capacitors

Backup Size of
kVAr Fuse/ AYFY cable Backup Fuse/ Size of AYFY cable in
breaker in [Link] kVAr
breaker [Link]
25 63 16 80 200 150
30 100 25 90 200 185
40 100 35
100 250 240
50 120 50
60 150 70 200 Breaker 2 X 185
70 160 120 300 Breaker 2 X 300
400 Breaker 2 X 400

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

Table - 10
Capacitors for Welding transformers

Welding Transformer Capacitor Welding Transformer Capacitor

Rating (kVA) kVAr Rating (kVA) kVAr
9(Single Phase) 4 57 (Three Phase) 16.5
12(Single Phase) 6 95 (Three Phase) 30
18(Single Phase) 8 128 (Three Phase) 45
24(Single Phase) 12 160 (Three Phase) 60
30(Single Phase) 18

Table - 11
Losses in Capacitors
Type of Capacitor Loss W/kVAr
Paper Oil Impregnated 2.0 to 2.5
Paper PCB Impregnated 3.0 to 3.5
Plastic Film/Paper, PCB 0.5 to 1.0
Plastic Film/Paper, Oil 0.5 to 1.0
Metalised Film Less than 0.5

Table - 12
Capacitors in kVAR for required power factor correction
Initial Correction to Initial Correction to
power 0.85 0.90 0.95 0.98 1.00 power 0.85 0.90 0.95 0.98 1.00
factor factor

0.50 1.112 1.248 1.403 1.529 1.732 0.75 0.262 0.398 0.535 0.673 0882
0.51 1.066 1.202 1.357 1.483 1.686 0.76 0.235 0.371 0.526 0.652 0.855
0.52 1.024 1.160 1.315 1.441 1.644 0.77 0.209 0.345 0.500 0.620 0.829
0.53 1.980 1.116 1.271 1.397 1.600 0.78 0.183 0.319 0.473 0.594 0.833
0.54 0.939 1.075 1.230 1.356 1.559 0.79 0.156 0.292 0.447 0.567 0.776
0.55 0.899 1.035 1.190 1.316 1.519 0.80 1.130 0.266 0.421 0.541 0.750
0.56 0.860 0.996 1.151 1.277 1.450 0.81 0.104 0.250 0.395 0.515 0.725
0.57 0.822 0.958 1.113 1.239 1.442 0.82 0.078 0.214 0.369 0.489 0.698
0.58 0.785 0.921 1.076 1.202 1.405 0.83 0.052 0.188 0.343 0.463 0.672
0.59 0.748 0.884 1.039 1.165 1.368 0.84 0.026 0.162 0.317 0.437 0.645
0.60 0.714 0.849 1.005 1.131 1.334 0.85 - 0.136 0.291 0.417 0.620
0.61 0.679 0.815 0.970 1.096 1.299 0.86 - 0.109 0.264 0.390 0.593
0.62 0.645 0.781 0.936 1.062 1.265 0.87 - 0.083 0.238 0.364 0.567
0.63 0.613 0.749 0.904 1.030 1.233 0.88 - 0.054 0.209 0.335 0.538
0.64 0.580 0.716 0.871 0.997 1.200 0.89 - 0.028 0.183 0.309 0.512
0.65 0.549 0.685 0.840 0.966 1.169 0.90 - - 0.155 0.251 0.484
0.66 0.518 0.654 0.809 0.935 1.138 0.91 - - 0.124 0.250 0.453
0.67 0.488 0.624 0.779 0.905 1.108 0.92 - - 0.097 0.223 0.426
0.68 0.459 0.595 0.750 0.876 1.076 0.93 - - 0.066 0.192 0.395

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

0.69 0.429 0.565 0.720 0.840 1049 0.94 - 0.034 0.160 0.363
0.70 0.400 0.536 0.691 0.811 1.020 0.95 - - 0.126 0.239
0.71 0.372 0.508 0.663 0.753 0.992 0.96 - - 0.089 0.292
0.72 0.343 0.479 0.634 0.754 0.963 0.97 - - 0.47 0.25
0.73 0.316 0.452 0.607 0.727 0.863 0.98 - - - 0.203
0.74 0.289 0.425 0.580 0.700 0.909 0.99 - - - 0.143

6. Earthing Standards
1. Earthing shall conform to I.S. 3043 / 2018 and IS 732:2019.
NGR used for HV generator/ Transformer shall be rated for 10 seconds or maximum tripping time
2.
on earth fault whichever is higher.
Minimum fault level at 11 kV side shall be assumed 150MVA for all earthing designs, if the actual
3.
fault level is less than 150MVA.
Number of earth electrodes required shall be calculated for fault current at HV side. Current
4.
loading of 1.2M x 1.2M plate shall not exceed 1300A. (I.S. 3043 – Cl.14.2.1)
Duration of fault current shall be taken as 3 sec for earthing design at HT installations and 1 sec
5.
for EHT installation.
All earth electrodes shall be interconnected using the conductors of largest size in the earthing
6.
system.
7. Maximum earth resistance at HT premises shall be limited to 1 ohm.(IS 3043, clause 25.1)
Earth mat shall be provided at EHT premises for limiting step voltage and touch voltage to
8.
tolerable values according to EEE 80.
All non-current carrying metal parts of electrical equipments shall be earthed and if voltage of
9. equipment exceeds 250V, it shall be connected in duplicate(CEA (MR&ES) Regulation – Cl.
41(xii))
Transformer and generator neutral shall be connected in duplicate. One direct connection from
10. neutral to an earth electrode shall be provided for neutral earthing. Links shall also be provided in
neutral earthing conductor. Generator neutral shall be earthed at control panel.
Lightning arrestor shall be directly connected to an earth electrode using No. 6 SWG Cu. The L.A.
11.
earth electrode may be interconnected with other earth electrodes.
When Steel conductors are used for earthing, the following allowances in cross section area of
12. earthing conductor are recommended to take effect of corrosion into account as per IS 3043-
2018.
Allowances to be
13. Type of laying of earthing conductors
considered
Conductors laid in soils having resistivity lower than 25 ohm meter or 30%
where treatment of soil around electrode is carried out
Conductors laid in soils having resistivity from 25 ohm m to 100 ohm m 15%
Conductors laid in soils having resistivity Above 100 ohm m 0 (no allowance)
A number of rods or pipes may be connected in parallel and the resistance is then practically
proportional to the reciprocal of the number employed so long as each is situated outside the
resistance area of any other. In practice, this is satisfied by a mutual separation equal to the driven
14.
depth. Little is to be gained by separation beyond twice the driven depth. A substantial gain is
effected even at 2 m separation. A Separation of two meter between plate electrode is sufficient to
get the earth resistance value with 20% variation. (IS 3043:2018 Cl.14.2.2)
15. Minimum distance between earth electrode and adjacent civil structure shall be 1.5 m.
16. In location of SBs, DBs etc. sub earth buses of 25x3mm2 copper or 32*6 mm2 GI may be provided.
17. All Copper joints in earthing conductors shall be properly tinned.

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

18. Following guidelines shall be adhered to when GI earthing is adopted.

(a) GI strips used for earthing shall be minimum 6mm thick and hot dip galvanised.
(b) The minimum cross - sectional area of the GI should be 50 [Link].
(c) Where a Copper conductor is to be joined to GI, the joints should be tinned to prevent
electrolytic action.
(e) Joints shall be invariably done by means of welding except in such locations where intermittent
disconnection of joints is necessitated for testing purpose, or for the earthing connection to the
body of equipments etc.
(f) Barium Chromate or Zinc dichromate treatment should be done at the welds. Joints should be
provided with coating alternative layers of red oxide and aluminum. Joints are to be covered
with hot bitumen. Also jute band covering of adequate thickness is to be made on the portion of
earthing susceptible to higher corrosion and environmental influence.
(g) The area of strip electrode thus covered with bitumen and jute should not be reckoned for the
calculation of area of dissipation for the fault current.
(h) In places where the resistivity is very high and atmospheric corrosion is not significant even
ordinary steel conductors shall be permitted.
(i) Earthing system with GI conductors should be subjected to a thorough physical examination
after a period of 10 years and modifications made if found necessary on such examination.
(j) Joints using GI conductors should be welded as far as possible and kept separated from air by
a thick coating of tar or similar non-hygroscopic materials. In case bolted joints cannot be
avoided, there should be a minimum of 2 bolts for sizes up to 25mm x 6mm, 3 bolts for sizes
up to 31mm x 6 mm and zig zag bolting for large sizes.
19. Following guidelines shall be adhered to when covered aluminium is used for earthing
(a) Aluminium should not be used for final underground connections to earth electrode.
(b) Aluminium shall be used below ground only if efficiently protected or sheathed against contact
with soil and moisture. PVC covering shall be allowed.
(c) Where a copper conductor is to be joined to Aluminium conductor, the joints should be tinned
to prevent electrolytic action.
(d) Sharp bends required in Aluminium strip should be formed by the use of a bending machine.
(e) Aluminium to Aluminium joints on strip conductor shall be arc welded using either the Tungsten
inert gas arc or Metal inert gas arc techniques. Oxy - acetylene gas welding or bracing shall
also be allowed.
(f) Round and rectangular conductors can be joined with bolted clamps. Rectangular conductors
can be joined or terminated by drilling and bolting.
(g) When making a bolted type joint the surface of the Aluminium strip should be cleaned
thoroughly by wire brushing and greased or an approved jointing compound applied
immediately to both mating – surfaces. Bolts should then be tightened and all excess grease
or compound wiped off and discarded.
(h) Aluminium conductor connections to equipment, whereas possible, should be in the vertical
plane. Surface preparation of Aluminium and making of the joint should be as previously
described. The finished joint should be protected by bitumastic paint.
Earthing switches shall be provided at appropriate locations to facilitate earthing of outgoing
20. transmission lines to enable maintenance. (CEA (Technical Standards for Construction of
Electrical Plants and Electric Lines), Regulations, 2010 43(2)(d))
21. Enclosure of bus duct may be used as earthing conductor, if continuity is ensured.

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

Maximum current per meter of rod length for the total rod system should not exceed the values as
determined by Equation

22.

If ground currents of high magnitude and long duration are anticipated, the system must cover a
relatively large area and employ a sufficient number of electrodes and electrode connections. This
will keep the current density in the earth to a low value.
Permissible current density (for 3 seconds) for earthing conductors.
a) Copper =118A/mm2
23.
b) Aluminium =73Amm2
c) Steel(GI) =46A/mm2
24. Protective equipotential bonding shall be carried out in all buildings as specified in IS 3043/IS 732.
Earth fault protection at every LT consumer premises shall be achieved by the following
a) The earth fault loop impedance has to be low enough to allow adequate earth fault current flow
to cause and over current protective device (for example, a fuse or circuit breaker) in the faulty
25.
circuit to operate in a sufficiently short time : or
b) Where it is not possible to achieve a low enough earth fault loop impedance, disconnection may
initiated by fitting a residual current device (RCD) of 30 mA (IS 3043:2018, clause 23.1)

7. Protection against Lightning

(IS/IEC:62305/2010 Part-3)
For lightning-carrying connections welding and clamping are the preferred methods. Lashed
1 joints as a connection are suitable for additional conductors for equipotentialization and for EMC
purposes only. (Clause E.4.3.6)
Welds between reinforcing bars within concrete should be at least 50 mm long. Crossing rods
2.
should be bent to run for at least 70 mm in parallel prior to welding. (Clause E.4.3.6)
Where welding to the reinforcing rods is not permitted, clamps or additional dedicated conductors
should be used. These additional conductors can be made of steel, mild steel, galvanized steel or
3. copper. The additional conductors should be connected to a large number of reinforcing rods by
lashings or clamps to take advantage of the shielding possibilities of the reinforcement steel.
(Clause E.4.3.6, E.4.3.9&E.4.3.11)
Where welding is permitted, both conventional welding and exothermic welding are acceptable.
4.
(Clause E.4.3.6)
Connections of external circuits to the interconnected reinforcement should be performed by
5.
means of clamps or by welding. (Clause E.4.3.6)
Welding to the reinforcing rods is only permitted if the civil works designer consents (Clause
6.
E.4.3.3)
Internal down-conductors, or internal structural parts used as down–conductors, should be
connected to an earth electrode and the reinforcement steel of the floor to avoid step and touch
7
voltages. If internal down-conductors are near expansion joints in the concrete, these joints should
be bridged as near to the internal down-conductor as possible. (Clause E.4.3.6)
The reinforcing rods of walls or concrete columns and steel structural frames may be used as
natural down-conductors. A termination joint should be provided on the roof to facilitate the
8. connection of the air-termination system and, unless the reinforced concrete foundation is being
used as the only earth-termination, termination joints should be provided to facilitate the connection
with the earth-termination system. (Clause E.4.3.7)

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

If a particular rod of the reinforcement steel is used as the down-conductor, care should be taken in
9 the route to earth to ensure that the rod that is located in the same position will be used all the way
down, thereby providing direct electrical continuity. (Clause E.4.3.7)
If the vertical continuity of the natural down-conductors, providing a straight path from roof to
ground cannot be guaranteed, additional dedicated conductors should be used. These additional
conductors should be lashed or clamped to the reinforcement steel. (ClauseE.4.3.7) In order to
10
avoid confusion between the different types of steel rods in concrete it is recommended that round
steel rods of atleast 8mm diameter with a smooth surface be used as additional conductors in
contrast to the ordinary ribbed surface of the reinforcing rods.(Clause 4.3.4)
If the direct route of the down-conductor (i.e. for existing buildings) is not clear an external down
11.
conductor system should be added. (Clause E.4.3.7)
In the case of large, low buildings such as halls, the roof is supported not only at the building
circumference but also by internal columns. Such conductive columns should be connected to the
air-termination system at the top and to the equipotential bonding system at the floor, creating
12.
internal down-conductors; this is to prevent dangerous sparking inside the building. Increased
electromagnetic interference occurs in the vicinity of such internal down-conductors, for which
adequate care should be given. (Clause E.4.3.7)
When ring conductors are proposed for individual floors of a building for the purpose of equi
13 potentialisation, it should be interconnected by means of vertical rods at intervals not greater than
10 m. (Clause E.4.3.8)
If prefabricated reinforced concrete parts are used for lightning protection, connection points should
be attached to them to allow later interconnection of the prefabricated reinforcement with the
reinforcement of the structure in a simple manner. These connection points should be located so
14
that in the prefabricated concrete part a continuous reinforcing rod runs from one bonding joint to
the next. In general, one connection point and a bonding conductor is required at each corner of a
plate-like prefabricated reinforced concrete part. (Clause E.4.3.11)
When the structure comprises a number of sections with expansion joints, in order to ensure low-
impedance potential equalization and effective shielding of the space inside a structure, expansion
15 joints between sections of a structure should be bridged at short intervals (between 1 m and one
half of the distance between down-conductors) by flexible or sliding bonding conductors depending
on the required shielding factor. (Clause E.4.3.12)

[Link] Boards
In case of outgoing circuits from the switchboard, where the current rating exceeds 63A, connection
1. between the busbar chamber and the automatic circuit breaker or switch fuse or any other control
gear shall be made only by solid connections.
Current density in buses shall not exceed 1.2 A/mm2 for copper and 0.8 A/mm2 for aluminium.
2.
Minimum thickness of aluminium buses shall be 6mm.
When ACB is provided at the incoming side of a switchboard the outlet switch rating shall not be
3.
less than 1/3 of the incomer setting.
When MCCB is provided at incoming side, the outlet switch rating shall not be less than 1/5th of the
4.
incomer setting.
Outlet fuse rating shall not exceed 1/3 of the incomer breaker setting from the point of view of
5.
grading.
If ACB is provided as incomer and MCCBs as outlets in a switchboard, outlet MCCB can be set up
6.
to 80% of incomer ACB settings.
If MCCB is provided as incomer, the maximum current setting of MCCBs proposed as outlets in
7.
switch board shall be half that of incomer MCCB setting.
8. In the case of transformers of rating above 1600 kVA only extra current limiting type MCCBs shall

24
Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

be provided as outlets of MSB to limit fault level at down streams.

In the case of switchboards connected to 1600 kVA transformer, the minimum outlet switch fuse
9.
rating shall be 630 A.
In the case of switchboards connected to 1250 kVA transformer, 400 A switch fuses can be
10.
permitted as outlet.
MCCBs maybe permitted as outlets in MSB irrespective of rating of transformer to which the board
11.
is connected. But these MCCBs shall have Ics value above the prospective fault current.
MCCBs that cut off fault current below its rated Ics value are classified as extra current limiting type.
12. MCCBs provided in sub-switch boards shall be extra current limiting type to limit fault level at down
streams.
When extra current limiting type MCCBs are used size of down stream cables can be reduced
13.
based on maximum let through energy of MCCB, during short circuit.
When extra current limiting type MCCBs are used, breakers of lower Ics value may be permitted at
14. down streams. Either 50% of Ics value of extra current limiting type MCCB or the prospective fault
current at location whichever is less may be adequate for breakers at down stream.
When ordinary MCCBs are used, cables at down stream shall have capacity to withstand
15. prospective fault current for a minimum time of 40 milli seconds and breakers used at downstream
shall have Ics value equal to or above prospective fault current.
In the case of breaker controlled switching centers, even though out let switch rating is fixed as 1/3
16.
of incomer setting, the feeders can be derated by reducing the fuses as per requirements.
When a switch fuse is available at the incomer side, outlet switch rating shall not be less than 1/10
17. of the incomer fuse rating. Maximum rating of fuses at outlets shall be 1/2 of the incomer fuse
rating.
18. Bus coupler shall be of same rating as that of incomer. Bus coupler breaker shall be drawout type.
19. Minimum front clearance of 1.5m shall be provided for draw out type breakers.
When two switchgear panels are installed face to face, a minimum clearance of 1m shall be
20. provided in between the breakers keeping the breakers in draw-out position or two such panels
may be kept 2.0 m apart.
For panels having no draw-out type breakers, minimum 1 m clearance shall be provided at front.
21.
Clearance on other sides shall conform to Regulation 37.
Trenches of adequate depth and width shall be provided below floor-mounted switchboards, having
22.
cable entry at bottom, for convenient maintenance/replacement works.
23. Door interlocking shall be provided for the switch to prevent its accidental opening in ‘ON’ position.
Incomer live terminals at switchgears shall be shrouded with minimum 3mm thick SMC, DMC, FRP
24.
or acrylic sheets.
25. Only SMC, DMC or FRP supports shall be used for bus bars.
Switching chambers, bus bar chamber, cable alleys, metering and relay chambers etc shall be
26.
properly compartmentalised.
Maximum rating of a distribution board shall be 100 A. Maximum rating of motor connected to a DB
27. shall be 7.5kW. MCB DBs are better to HRC DBs. Vertical Distribution Boards may be used upto
125A.
28. Minimum phase to phase and phase to earth clearance of bus bars in MV panel shall be 20 mm.
Considering the harmonic current, only 4 core cables up to and including size 25 [Link] shall be
29.
used for lighting loads, UPS etc.
30. MV installation shall conform to I.S. 732/2019.
Competent persons duly designated under Regulation 3 shall be permitted to do maintenance /
31. operation on any electrical system. The designated person should possess a certificate of
competency or electrical work permit issued by the State Government.
Wherever unearthed system (IT) is adopted, insulation monitoring arrangement shall be provided
32.
as specified in IS732.
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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

Test certificates may be insisted for electronic change over switches regarding its ampere rating
33.
and proper supply change over.

9. Medium Voltage Cables

1. Adequate support shall be provided for cables.
2. Minimum depth of laying of MV cables shall be 75 cm.
When cables are laid across public roads, cables shall be drawn through hume/HDPE pipes of
minimum 10cm diameter or 1.5 times of conductor diameter. Outer diameter of cable whichever is
3.
higher, laid at a minimum depth of 1.0m. Permission from local authority shall be obtained.(IS
3961;IS1255)
4. Armour of multi-core cables shall be earthed at both ends.
5. Different racks shall be provided in cable trenches for cables of different voltages.
6. Minimum size of cables for power loads shall be 4 [Link] aluminium or 2.5 [Link] copper.
7. While designating the cable, codes shown in Table 15 shall be used.
Cables shall have adequate normal current carrying capacity and short circuit current carrying
8.
capacity. Refer Table 16 and 17.
9. Size of feeder cables and corresponding fuse ratings are given in Table 17.
10. Voltage drop in cables shall not exceed 3%. Refer Table 18 & 19.
Power loss in cables shall also be considered while selecting cables; resistance of aluminium
11.
cables is given in Table 19.
For current rating of medium voltage XLPE cables, IEC 60364-5-523 may be followed as per Table
12.
20.
13. Insulation monitoring system shall be provided if unearthed system is adopted.

Table -13
Standard requirements for insulating oils
Characteristics Equipment Voltage Permissible Limits
Dielectric Strength 145 kV and above 30 kV(Min)
Break down voltage Below72.5 kV 40 kV (Min)
72.5 kV and <145 kV 50 kV (Min)
Water content Below 145 kV 35ppm (Max)
145 kV and above 25ppm (Max)
Specific resistance All voltages
(Ohm-cm)at 90°C 0.1 x 1012ohm-cm (Min)
Dielectric dissipation All voltages
factor 0.005(Max):
(tan -o) at 900 c
..
Neutrlaisation value All voltages 0.4 mg KGlH/gr (Max)
(Total acidity)
Interfacial tension at All voltages 0.018N/M (Min)
27°C
Min. -125°C
Flashpoint All voltages Max - 15°C decrease of initial value
Sediment or precipitable All voltages No sediment or precipitable sludge should
sludge be detectable
Dissolved gas analysis 145 kV and above Refer I.S. 10593 - 1993 & DGA
study chart

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

Table -14
Current rating of 11kV UG Cables (XLPE-Aluminium)
Current ratincis (A)
Nominal area of Three - Core cables Single - Core cables
conductor In Ground In Air In Ground In Air
([Link])
50 125 135 140 175
70 155 170 170 215
95 185 205 205 255
120 210 240 230 300
150 235 275 260 335
240 305 375 330 460
300 345 425 370 520

Table -15
Cable Code (IS 7098-Part 2- 2011)
Constituent Code Letter
Aluminium Conductor A
XPLE 2X
PVC Insulation V
Steel round wire armoured W
Non-magneticround wire armoured Wa
Steel Strip armoured F
Non-Magnetic strip armoured Fa
Double steel strip armoured FF
Double steel wire armoured WW
PVC outer sheath Y

Table 16
Current rating of AYFY Cables IS : 3961Part II 1967
Nominal area of conductor (mm2) Corresponding current rating (A)
1.5 16
2.5 21
4 28
6 35
10 46
16 50
25 76
35 93
50 110
70 135
95 165
120 185
150 210
185 235
240 275
300 305
400 335

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

Table - 17
Current rating of AYFY Feeder cables
Fuse/Feeder Size in [Link] Feeder rating in A Size in [Link]
Rating in A
16 4 150 150
25 6 160 185
32 10 200 240
40 16 250 400
50 25 320 2x185
63 35 400 2x240
80 50 500 240
100 70 630 400
120 95 800 4x400
125 120

Table - 18
Voltage drop and resistance of AYFY Cables
Conductor Installation method (Clipped direct) AC
Cross- One Twin Single Phase Three Core Three Phase Backup resistance
Sectional Current Volt Drop/ A Current Volt Drop/ A Fuse at 20°c
Area Carrying /m Carrying /m Ohm/km
mm2 Capacity Capacity A (apprx.)
A mV A mV
1.5 16 - - - 10 -
2.5 21 29 19 25.1 16 14.491
4 28 18.2 25 15.8 16 9.122
6 35 12.1 32 10.5 25 6.062
10 46 7.3 43 6.3 32 3.637
16 60 4.5 58 3.9 40 2.252
25 76 2.9 74 2.5 50 1.443
35 92 2.1 90 1.8 63 1.039
50 110 1.6 115 1.3 80 0.751
70 135 1.1 135 0.93 100 0.537
95 165 0.79 165 0.68 120 0.393
120 185 0.65 190 0.54 125 0.312
150 210 0.53 215 0.45 150 0.250
185 235 0.45 250 0.37 160 0.214
240 275 0.36 295 0.30 200 0.173
300 305 0.31 340 0.25 225 0.144
400 335 0.26 415 0.225 250 0.090
2x185 423 - - - 320 -

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

2x240 495 - - - 400 -

2x300 549 - - - 425 -
2x400 603 - - - 450 -
3x185 620 - - - 450 -
3x240 726 - - - 500 -
3x300 805 - - - 630 -
3x400 884 - - - 630 -
4x400 - - - - 800 -

Table - 19
Voltage drop in PVC insulated Copper Cables
Conductor Cross- Installation method (Clipped direct)
Sectional Area
Twin Core Three Core
mm2
Current Carrying Volt Drop/ A Current Carrying Volt Drop/ A
Capacity /m Capacity /m
A mV A mV
1.5 20 29 18 25
2.5 29 18 24 16
4 37 12 31 9.5
6 48 7.4 41 6.3
10 66 4.3 56 3.8
16 86 2.7 73 2.3
25 115 1.8 97 1.6
35 142 1.3 119 1.1
50 168 0.92 147 0.81
70 209 0.65 180 0.57
95 257 0.48 219 0.42
120 295 0.40 257 0.34
150 337 0.32 295 0.29
185 390 0.29 333 0.24
240 461 0.25 399 0.18
300 523 0.23 451 0.18
400 589 0.22 523 0.17

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 Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

Table -20
XLPE Cable current rating
3.5core Aluminum conductor, XLPE insulated and PVC sheathed unarmored/armoured cable
conforming to IS:7098(PT-1)/1988

Nom. Unarmoured Armoured Max. D.C Max. A.C Current Rating

Cross Overall Net wt. of Overall Net wt. of Resistance Resistance Direct in In Air
sectional Diameter cable Diameter cable Temp. 200C Operating Temp. Ground
area (Approx.) (Approx.) (Approx.) (Approx.) /Km 900C Amps Amps
mm2 (mm) (Kg/Km) (mm) (Kg/Km) /Km
25 22 600 24 870 1.200 1054 94 96
35 24 720 26 1030 0.868 1.110 113 117
50 27 910 29 1230 0.641 0.820 133 142
70 31 1230 33 1610 0.443 0.567 164 179
95 35 1550 37 2000 0.320 0.410 196 221
120 36 2000 40 2460 0.253 0.325 223 257
150 43 2300 45 2840 0.206 0.265 249 292
185 48 2860 50 3480 0.164 0.211 282 337
240 54 3610 56 4290 0.125 0.162 326 399
300 59 4410 59 5170 0.100 0.130 367 455
400 67 5650 68 6480 0.0778 0.1023 418 530

4 core Aluminum conductor, XLPE insulated and PVC sheathed unarmored/armoured cable
conforming to IS:7098(PT-1)/1988
Nom. Unarmoured Armoured Max. D.C Max. A.C Current Rating
Cross Overall Net wl. of Overall Net wl. of Resistance Resistance Direct in In Air
sectional Diameter cable Diameter cable Temp. 200C OperatingTemp. Ground
area (Approx.) (Approx.) (Approx.) (Approx.) /Km 900C Amps Amps
mm2 (mm) (Kg/Km) (mm) (Kg/Km) /Km
4 15 242 17 596 7.140 9.50 34 31
6 16 289 18 664 4.610 5.90 43 40
10 17 378 20 750 3.080 3.940 57 53
16 19 445 22 700 1.910 2.440 73 70
25 22 650 24 940 1.200 1.540 94 96
35 25 800 27 1130 0.868 1.110 113 117
50 28 1000 30 1400 0.641 0.820 133 142
70 33 1370 34 1800 0.443 0.567 164 179
95 35 1740 38 2190 0.320 0.410 196 221
120 39 2170 42 2690 0.253 0.325 223 257
150 44 2630 47 3220 0.206 0.265 249 292
185 49 3250 52 3920 0.164 0.211 282 337
240 55 4110 59 4850 0.125 0.162 326 399
300 61 5070 64 5900 0.100 0.130 367 455
400 69 6420 72 7310 0.0778 0.1023 418 530

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

10. Multi-Storeyed Buildings (more than 15m height)

Buildings having more than one floor is categorized as multistoried building. Multistoried building
having height more than 15m attract the provisions of Regulation 36. NEC 2011 Part 3 Section 7
explains the requirements of electrical installations in such category of buildings. Height of the
1.
building is the vertical distance measured from the average level of the ground contiguous to the
building or the center line of the adjoining street to the terrace of last livable floor of the building
adjacent to the street level (NBC & KMBR).
Only dry type transformers shall be used for the electrification of residential or commercial buildings
2.
or if necessary oil filled transformers shall be installed in separate utility building.(NBC Part 8)
For common and essential loads of 100 kVA and above, separate transformer with HT metering
3. may be installed exclusively for such loads by the consumer / promoter (at the building premises at
his own cost) (Supply Code 2014, 11(3))
a) HT metering arrangement shall be attached to the primary control device. Time of day meter of
tamper proof type shall be provided for metering.
4.
b) Tapings from PT is permitted and shall be taken with separate fuse control for connection to
indication lamps, volt meter, power factor meter watt-hour meter etc.
Locking and sealing facility shall be provided in all metering panels, all un-metered switch boards
5. provided before metering provision, HT panel etc. to prevent theft of energy and illicit use of
electricity.
HT panel including group control isolator, LT panels including metering panels shall be installed by
6. the promoter / consumer at his own cost. It is the responsibility of the KSEBL/Licensee to effect
supply up to the incoming terminal of the HT panel.
Energy meters for individual consumers shall be purchased and installed by the consumer /
7. promoter /licensee at his own cost. These meters shall be got tested and certified by Electrical
Inspectorate or KSEBL/Licensee.
Fuse / MCB protection shall be provided for watt-hour meters. If MCB is provided a separate door
8.
with locking facility to enable the supplier to lock it with MCB in off position, shall be provided.
Emergency supply of adequate capacity shall be installed to feed essential loads. Power supply to
fire pumps, pressurisaters and smoke venting systems, fire men lifts, emergency lightning, fire
9.
alarms etc. shall be fed from normal and emergency power source, with change over facility(NBC
16,part 4,[Link]).
Floor wise single point supply isolation facility shall be provided. However single point isolation is
10.
permitted for two adjacent floors.
For calculation of total connected load, minimum 1.2 kW or actual shall be taken for single-phase
11. connection and 5 kW for 3-phase connection. For residential apartments minimum 50 watts shall
be envisaged for one sq.m. of residential area. ( Supply code 2014:Section 50)
Cables shall be taken to different floors through cable duct only. There shall be access to duct from
all floors. Fire barriers shall be provided in the duct at floor crossings. Generator cables and grid
12.
cables shall be segregated in the duct. No other service pipes shall be taken through electrical
duct. Two numbers of earthing strips shall be taken through the duct
13. Only lifts with imperforated doors shall be provided in high-rise buildings.
When lift is operated through generator, the capacity of generator should be minimum 6 times the
14.
rating of lift motor in kW and 3 times in the case of variable voltage variable frequency controller.
15. Oil filled breakers/ SFUs are not permitted in high-rise buildings.
Low set E/F protection using neutral CT need not be insisted for transformers feeding high-rise
16. buildings where LT metering is adopted, But ELCBs shall be provided for all DBs and motor loads
except for fire pump motors.
Metering panels shall be fixed preferably on the ground floor having proper ventilation and dequate
17.
illumination (Supply code 2014, 109 (6))
18. Unmetered spare outlets shall not be permitted in MSB / SSBs / metering panels.
31
Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

Lightning protection shall be provided and shall conform to IS/IEC 62305 Class of LPS and details
19.
are given in Table 21.
20. When generator supply is extended to individual consumers, it shall be through an emergency DB.
Emergency supply isolation facility using push buttons shall be provided in a conspicuous place at
21.
ground floor at a maximum height of 1.70 metres above the ground. (CEA Regulation – Cl. 36(3))
Transformers and generators shall be installed at the periphery of the building having easy access
22.
and ventilation.
23. Exhaust pipe of DG set shall be brought above roof top level as per CPCB.
24. Acoustic arrangements of DG shall be provided as per CPCB.
Rigid standards shall be followed in selection of quality wiring materials and for standard
25.
maintenance practices. Wiring shall conform to I.S. 732, I.S. 4648 and NEC.
26. For fire pumps, starters without over load relay shall be provided.
Height of meter display in metering panels shall be 0.75M to 1.8M. (CEA Installation of Meters
27.
Regulations – Cl. 7(2) (c) & I.S. 15707 – Cl. 11.3.1(b))
It is essential to provide independent feeders for installations such as fire lift, fire alarm,fire pumps,
28.
etc.
In commercial premises and high-rise buildings, a few lifts and circulation area lights and
29.
fire-fighting equipment have to be kept working by supply from stand-by sets (NEC part 2, 8.2)
30. In multi-storeyed building with HT metering, use of bus ducts are advisable than cable ducts.
The power supply HV cables voltage shall not be more than 12 kV and a separate dedicated and
31. fire compartmented shaft should be provided for carrying such high voltage cables to upper floors
in a building. Clause 4.2.1 of Part 8 NBC
If dry type transformers are installed above ground level in multi-storied building of height more than
15m, 11kV ABSFU/Breaker shall be provided at ground floor. Structural fitness certificate from a
32.
competent structural engineer shall also be furnished. Regulation 36(3). Also refer section General
(under transformer) Sl. No 20
10.1 Selection of fire pumps for high-rise building
The minimum requirements for firefighting installation in high rise building are given in the National
1.
Building Code Part IV, Table 31.
2. Installation and selection of Fire extinguishers shall conform to IS 2190 :2010 and IS 15683:2006.
Electrically operated fire pumps along with booster pumps of adequate rating as per National
3.
Building Code shall be provided.
Main fire pumps (electric & diesel) and jockey fire pump are to be provided near surface level,
4.
under-ground static tank.
5. Booster fire pump is to be provided at terrace level.

Table 21
Lightning Protection
Protection angle w.r.t height Rolling Distance
Class Mesh size Sphere between
of LPS in meters 10 meter 20 meter 30 meter 45 meter 60 meter redius in down
meters Conductor
I 5x5 46 23 NA NA 20 10
II 10 x 10 54 38 23 NA 30 10
III 15 x 15 62 48 36 23 NA 45 15
IV 20 x 20 65 53 46 33 23 60 20

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

11. Electrical Layout in Residential Buildings

IS: 4648-1968 (Reaffirmed 1997)
1. Energy meter shall be at such a place which is readily accessible to both consumer and supplier.
Isolating device shall be placed immediately after the energy meter and should be readily
2.
accessible to consumer.
3. Fuses or other protective devices used shall have adequate breaking capacity.
4. Insulated conductors connected to live lines shall be either red, yellow or blue colour. Neutral shall
be black.
5. Earthing conductor may be uninsulated. If insulated, the covering shall be finished to show a green
colour. For protective conductor, bi-color combination green and yellow shall be used. (IS 3043,
Sec 11.2.1, IS 11353 Table 1)
6. After the main switch there shall be a Distribution board.
7. There shall be separate circuits for power and lighting.
8. There shall be minimum two sub circuits for lighting.
9. Total load on a lighting sub-circuit shall be 800 Watts. Number of points shall not exceed 10.
10. Total load on a power sub-circuit shall be 3000 Watts. There shall not be more than 2 outlets in a
power sub-circuit.
11. A switch shall be provided adjacent to normal entrance to any area for controlling the general
lighting in that area.
12. Two way switching is recommended for halls and staircases.
13. Switches and bell pushes should be self illuminating where they are often operated in dark.
14. Local light fittings in kitchen should be so placed that all working surfaces are well illuminated.
15. In bedroom it is recommended that some lighting be controlled from the bed location.
16. It is recommended to use ceiling lighting with the switch located outside for bathroom.
17. Water proof light fittings shall only be used for outdoor lighting.
18. All socket outlets shall be three pin types.
19. Each 15A socket-outlet provided in buildings for use of domestic appliances such as air-
conditioner, water cooler etc shall be provided with its own individual fuse.(IS 732_11.7_appn_C2).
20. All socket outlets shall be controlled by a switch located adjacent to it.
21. Only shuttered type sockets shall be provided at location accessible to children.
22. For socket outlets of rating more than 15A, double pole switch shall be provided.
23. As per clause 5.1.6.1a of IS 732 no power sockets are permitted in bathroom. In unavoidable
situations it shall be at inaccessible distance.
24. All ceiling fans shall be provided with a switch beside its regulator.
25. Ceiling fan blades shall be hung not less than 2.75m above floor.
26. Flexible cords shall be used only in the following cases
27. For pendants
For wiring of fixtures and
For connection of transportable and house hold appliances.

12. Lifts and Escalators

[Link]
1. Lifts and its installation shall conform to IS. 14665 (Part 1-3) 2000, Part 4-2001, Part 5-1999
2. Lift Well
Trap door location is advisable at a place below which no human movement is there to the
maximum extent possible. Trap door is not mandatory.

33
Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

Even dimensions are to be maintained throughout the lift well with proper plastering.
Lintel may be cast above a height of 2100 mm for door opening at all floors.
No column projection should be extended to the lift well area.
For passenger lifts having sliding door facility till projection of 105 mm to be provided on all
landings.
External power cables (other than lift car and central cables) should not be run through lift well.
3. Machine Room
The machines should be as far as possible, be placed immediately above the lift well.
If construction of machine room is not possible above lift well it shall be below the lift well or in the
basement.
High-speed lift with gearless machine should have machine room above the lift well.
Lightning protection shall be provided as per I S 62305 over the lift machine room
The machine room shall be segregated from the lift well by fire resistant separation in the
basement.
The machine room shall be kept closed, except to those who are concerned with the operation
and the maintenance of the machinery. When the electrical pressure exceeds 250 Vdc or 125
Vac, a danger notice shall be displayed permanently on the outside of the door.
The machine room shall be equipped with an insulated portable hand lamp provided with flexible
cord for examining the machinery.
The machine room shall be kept clean.
There shall be a direct independent access from the topmost landing to the lift machine room.
All open rotating parts shall be guarded from accidental contact.
The machine room shall be well ventilated during normal operation.
The motor of each lift machine or the worm shaft shall be arranged so as to provide hand-winding
facilities and shall be suitably marked for the direction of up and down travel of the lift car.
4. Electrical Wiring
All electrical supply lines and apparatus in connection with the lift installation shall be so
constructed, installed, protected, worked and maintained that there may be no danger to persons
there from.
All metal casings or metallic coverings containing or protecting electric supply lines of apparatus
shall be effectively earthed.
No bare conductor shall be used in any lift car.
All cable and other wiring in connection with the lift installations shall be of suitable grade for the
voltage at which they are intended to be worked and shall confirm to IS 4289-1967.
Cable to the motor shall be segregated and the power cables should not be mixed with control
and safety cables.
A trailing cable, which incorporates the control circuit, shall be separate and distinct from that
which incorporates lighting and signaling circuits.
Separate feeders shall be provided for power and lighting circuits.
Proper ventilation shall be provided for the motor control panel and shall be guarded against
accessibility to live parts.
Clearance between lift motor control panels shall be sufficient for easy maintenance from both
sides of the control panel.
Dressing of control cables from the motor control panel to lift car shall be checked to ensure
trouble free operation and detection of faults.
Local isolation shall be provided for both power and lighting feeders.
Cables from the motor control panel to lift motor and electro magnetic brake shall not be laid over
the floor directly.
Insulating mats as per IS 15652 shall be provided in front of panels, switch boards etc.

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The earthing conductor shall be secured to earthing terminal in accordance with recommendation
made in IS 3043/2018 and also in conformity with the latest provisions of Central Electricity
Authority (Measures Relating to Safety and Electric Supply) Regulation 2010.
It is recommendatory that lift car be provided either with an emergency signal that is operative
from the lift car and audible outside the lift well or with a telephone. The supply to the alarm
system should be taken from the machine room light circuit.
When lift is operated through generator, the capacity of generator should be 6 times the rating of
lift motor in kW and 4 times in the case of variable voltage variable frequency lift motors.
ELCBs shall be provided in lift motor and lighting feeders.
Emergency stopping device in car operating panel for automatically operated lifts with
imperforated doors is prohibited.
5. Lift car
Emergency stopping device in car operating panel for automatically operated lifts with
mperforated doors is prohibited.
An alarm button, yellow in colour shall be provided on the car-operating panel.
A load plate giving the rated load of the lift shall be fitted in each lift car. For passenger lifts the
rated load shall be given in number of persons and kilograms.
Net inside car areas for various passenger capacities with corresponding minimum rated loads
shall be as given in Table 22
6. Protection
Every passenger lift shall be provided with an overload protection device, which will prevent the
lift from starting in case the lift car is loaded to 110% of the rated capacity of the lift or more. Lift
shall remain stationary with door open.
Audio and visual warning shall be provided to alert the passenger in case of over load.
Battery operated Automatic Rescue Device (ARD) shall be provided on all lifts to take the lifts to
the nearest possible landing in case of power failure. If lifts are equipped with back up generator
with AMF Panel the provision of ARD is optional. Capacity of battery for ARD shall be such that
minimum three rescue operatations can be performed without recharging.
For all lifts with ARD, an audio and visual indication shall be provided inside the lift car to alert the
person trapped inside that he / she is being rescued.
For calculating fee for escalators, each escalator motor shall be taken as a unit.

Table : 22
Minimum and Maximum Net inside Car area for Lifts
(IS 14665 (Part 3/Sec.1):20000)
No. of Passengers Minimum Rate Load Minimum Net Inside Maximum Net Inside
Kg Car Area, M2 Car Area, M2
4 272 0.68 0.77
5 340 0.85 0.95
6 408 1.00 1.12
7 476 1.16 1.28
8. 544 1.31 1.45
9 612 1.46 1.60
10 680 1.61 1.76
11 784 1.92 1.91
12 816 1.92 2.05
13 884 2.06 2.20
14 952 2.23 2.34
15 1020 2.35 2.47

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16 1088 2.48 2.61

17 1156 2.62 2.74
18 1224 2.75 2.87
19 1292 2.88 3.00
20 1360 3.01 3.13
21 1428 3.14 3.25
22 1496 3.26 3.38
23 1564 3.39 3.50
24 1632 3.51 3.61
25 1700 3.62 3.73
26 1768 3.74 3.85
27 1836 3.86 3.96
28 1904 3.97 4.07
29 1972 4.08 4.18

[Link]
1. Escalator and its installation shall conform to IS 4591.
2. An SDF/CB shall control the escalator circuit.
3. An electrical motor shall not drive more than one escalator.
4. Key operated type starting switch shall be provided near the escalator.
5. Angle of Inclination -It shall not exceed 30 degrees from the horizontal, but for rises not exceeding
6 metres and a nominal speed not exceeding 0.5m/s an angle up to 35 degrees is permitted. (IS
4591:2020, Part 1 sec 5.2.2)
6. Manually operated type emergency stop switches shall be provided at accessible height at top
and bottom landing spaces.
7. Local supply isolator shall be provided near the escalator main motor.
8. Step treads shall be properly illuminated throughout the run.
9. Each escalator shall be provided with an electrically released, mechanically applied brake
capable of stopping the traveling escalator travel with any load up to its rated load.
10. Rated speed shall not exceed 38 m/min.
11. A speed governor has to be provided to stop the escalator travel if the speed exceeds a
predetermined value subject to maximum 140% of the rated speed.
12. Broken step chain device shall be provided to cut off power supply to the driving machine, if the
step chain breaks.
13. Balustrades shall be provided at each side and comb plates at top and bottom of escalator.
14. Finger guards shall be provided at the point where the handrail enters the balustrades.
15. Skirt guards shall be provided at bottom portion of balustrades.
16. Clearance between step and skirt guard shall be max. 5mm.
17. Clearance between step treads shall be max. 4mm.
18. Handrails shall extend to min. 30cm to top and bottom landing spaces.
19. Step tread width shall be min. 40cm. and max. 102cm.
20. The depth of step tread shall be more than 40cm. and the rise between treads shall be less than
22cm.
21. Door to the machine room shall be outward opening type.

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

13. Electrical Distribution at I T / I T related Industries

Due to lack of Electro Magnetic compatibility, there are so many undefined faults in I.T. industry. Some of
them are:-
 PC supply stops or hangs just before finishing day’s work.
 Without any reason, load in the network increases.
 Data being sent off with visible delay.
 Several memory errors are recorded in a system’s error lag.
 Read/ write errors on hard disc are reported.
 Without any reason the UPS switches to bypass and the screen display jitters.
 A successful data backup is displayed, despite the fact that the data can be assured in the
restore process.
 In a systems cache, individual status bits are allowed, backing access to hard disc the data is
lost.
 New work stations are installed and are categorized in to network. A connection cannot be
established until the data transfer rate is reduced from 100Mbites/s to 10Mbites/s.
Above problems can be eliminated/ reduced by adopting the following methods.
 Achieve equipotential bonding
 Confirm the operating current back to the source only through Neutral conductor. There shall
not be any earth loops.
 Adopt TN-S system and never adopt TN-C-S system.
Requirement for a reliable I.T. Power Supply
 Create low impidence earthing system.
 No operating current through PE/ equipotencial bonding conductor.
 No multiple earthing of Neutral.
 Neutral conductor size shall not to be reduced.
 Consider harmonic loads while designing conductor size.
 Do not permit any PEN conductor in the building.
 Install surge protectors.
• Insulation monitoring system shall be provided.

14. Electrification of Hospitals & Health care premises

(Ref- IS 17512, NEC)
The TN-C system is not allowed in medical locations and medical buildings downstream of the
1 main distribution board.

2 In medical locations the distribution system should be designed and installed to facilitate the
automatic change-over from the main distribution network to the electrical safety source feeding
essential loads
• Group 0
Medical location where no applied parts are intended to be used.
• Group 1
Medical location where applied parts are intended to be used as follows:
– Externally;
– Invasively to any part of the body, except where Group 2 applies
Group 2
Medical location where applied parts are intended to be used in applications such as intra
cardiac procedures, operating theatres and vital treatment where discontinuity (failure) of the

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supply can cause danger to life.

3 PROTECTION FOR SAFETY(IS 17512 sec 6,3.12)

Protection Against Electric Shock

a) Protection Against both Direct and Indirect Contact
Safety Extra Low Voltage and Protective Extra Low Voltage:

When using SELV and/or PELV circuits in medical locations of group1 and group 2, the
nominal voltage applied to current-using equipment shall not exceed 25 V [Link] 60 V
ripple free dc. Protection by insulation of live parts and by barriers or enclosures is
essential.

In medical locations of group 2, exposed-conductive parts of equipment (for example,

operating the atre luminaries), shall be connected to the equi-potential bonding conductor.

When safety extra voltage is obtained from supply mains, it is to be through a safety
isolating transformer or a convertor with separate winding, the insulation of which complies
with the double insulation or reinforced insulation requirement.

b) Protection Against Direct Contact: (IS 17512 sec 6.1.2)

1. Obstacles: Protection by obstacles is not permitted.
2. Placing out of reach: Protection by placing out of reach is not permitted. Only protection
by insulation of live parts or protection by barriers or enclosures is permitted.

c) Protection Against Indirect Contact (IS 17512 sec 6.1.3)

1. Automatic disconnection of supply
Disconnection of supply:
In medical locations of group 1 and group 2, the following shall apply:
– For IT, TN and TT systems, the conventional touch voltage UL shall not exceed 25
V(UL ≤ 25 V);
– For TN and IT systems, below table shall apply.

4 I. TN systems:
In medical locations of group 1, in final circuits with over current protective devices rated
up to 32 A, residual current protective devices with a rated residual operating current not
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exceeding 30m A shall be used.

In medical locations of group 2, protection by automatic disconnection of supply by
means of residual current protective devices with a rated residual-operating
current not exceeding 30m A shall only be used on the circuits that are supplying only
one single equipment.
II. TT systems
In medical locations of group 1 and group 2, the requirements of TN systems apply and
in all cases residual current protective devices shall be used.
III. Medical IT system
In Group 2 medical locations, an IT system shall be used for final circuits and where the
same final circuit is connected to more than one ME equipment or ME system, located
within the patient environment, excluding:
– equipment with a rated power greater than5k VA;
– X-ray equipment;
– the supply of movements of fixed operating tables.
For each group of rooms serving the same function, at least one separate medical IT system
is necessary. The medical IT system shall be equipped with an insulation monitoring device
in accordance with the following specific requirements:
– The ac. internal impedance shall be at least100 k Ω;
– The test voltage shall not be greater than25 V dc.;
– The injected current, even under fault conditions, shall not be greater than 1mA peak;
– Indication shall take place at the latest when the insulation resistance has decreased
to50 k Ω. A test device shall be provided;
For each medical IT system, an acoustic and visual alarm system incorporating the following
components shall be arranged at a suitable place so that it can be permanently monitored
(audible and visual signals) by the medical staff:
– A green signal lamp to indicate normal operation;
– A yellow signal lamp which lights when the minimum value set for the
insulation resistance is reached. It shall not be possible for this light to be
cancelled or disconnected;
– An audible alarm which sounds when the minimum value set for the insulation
resistance is reached. This audible alarm may be silenced.
– The yellow signal shall go out on removal of the fault and when the normal
condition is restored.
Monitoring of overload and high temperature for the medical IT transformer is
required.
IV. Supplementary equi potential bonding
In each medical location of group 1 and group 2,supplementary equipotential bonding
conductors shall be installed and connected to the equipotential bonding bus bar for the
purpose of equalizing potential differences between the following parts, located in the
“patient environment”:
– Protective conductors;
– Extraneous-conductive-parts;
– Screening against electrical interference fields, if installed;
– Connection to conductive floor grids, if installed;
– Metal screen of the isolating transformer, if any.
5 Fixed conductive non-electrical patient supports such as operating theatre tables, physiotherapy
couches and dental chairs should be connected to the equipotential bonding conductor unless
they are intended to be isolated from earth.
6 In medical locations of group 2, the resistance of the conductors, including the resistance of the

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connections, between the terminals for the protective conductor of socket-outlets and of fixed
equipment or any extraneous- conductive-parts and the equipotential bonding bus bar shall not
exceed 0.2 Ω.
NOTE — This resistive value can also be determined by the use of a suitable cross-sectional
area of the conductor.
7 Fire Protection shall be provided as per National Building Code of India part 4 Fire and Life
safety applies.
8 SELECTION AND ERECTION OF ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT(IS 17512 sec 7)
a) Transformers for medical IT systems
It is recommended that the medical IT distribution board is located within 25 m of the point of
use. The distribution board should be easily accessible for maintenance which will require it
to be located on the same level and the same fire section as the load it serves. Distribution
boards shall be installed outside the group2 medical locations and should be safely guarded
against unauthorized persons.
The rated voltage Un on the secondary side of transformers shall not exceed 250 V ac.
b) Medical IT systems for group 2 medical locations
Transformers shall be in accordance with IEC 61558-2-15, with the following additional
requirements:
1) The leakage current of the output winding to earth and the leakage current of the
enclosure, when measured in no-load condition and the transformer supplied at rated
voltage and rated frequency shall not exceed 0.5 m A.
2) Single-phase transformers shall be used to form the medical IT systems for portable
and fixed equipment and the rated output shall not be less than 0.5 kVA and shall not
exceed 10 kVA.
3) 3)If the supply of three-phase loads via an IT system is also required, a separate three-
phase isolation transformer shall be provided for this purpose without put line-to-line
voltage not exceeding 250 V.
9 Where appropriate, attention should be given to prevention of electromagnetic interference.
Explosion risk
1) Requirements for medical electrical equipment for use in conjunction with flammable
gases and vapours are contained of IS 13450 (Part 1).
2) Where hazardous conditions are likely to occur (for example, in the presence of
flammable gases and vapours), special precautions may be required.
3) Prevention of build-up of static electricity is recommended.

Electrical devices (for example, socket-outlets and switches) shall be installed at a distance of at
least 0.2 m horizontally (centre to centre) from any medical gas- outlets, so as to minimize the
risk of ignition of flammable gases.
10 Any wiring system within group 2 medical locations shall be exclusive to the use of equipment
and fittings in that location. (IS 17512 sec 7.2)
11 Protection of Wiring Systems in Medical Locations of Group 2:
Total selectivity shall be ensured for any prospective over current: In case of a short-circuit in a
final circuit, the incoming circuits of the upstream distribution board shall not be interrupted.
Over current protection against short-circuit and over load current is necessary for each final
circuit. Overload current protection is not allowed in the feeder circuits upstream and downstream
of the transformer of medical IT-system.
12 Lighting Circuits
In medical locations of group 1 and group 2, at least two different sources of supply shall be
provided for some of the luminaries by two circuits. One of the two circuits shall be connected to
the safety service. In escape routes, alternate luminaries shall be connected to the safety service

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(IS 17512 sec 7.4.1)

13 Socket-outlet Circuits in the Medical IT System for Medical Locations of Group 2
At each patient’s place of treatment, for example, bed heads, the configuration of socket-outlets
shall be as follows:
– Either a minimum of two separate circuits feeding socket-outlets shall be installed; or
– Each socket-outlet shall be individually protected against over current.
Where circuits are supplied from other systems(TN-S or TT systems)in the same
medical location, socket-outlets connected to the medical IT system shall either:
– be of such construction that prevents their use in other systems, or
– be clearly and permanently marked.
(IS 17512 sec 7.4.2)
14 Architecture of Special Safety Supply System in Operation Theatre (IS 17512 sec 7.4.3)
Operating Rooms require impeccable availability and quality of Electric power to ensure
maximum patient safety
-There shall be dedicated UPS system to ensure the back-up power for at least 3 hours
-In group 2 locations, that is, Operating Rooms, an Isolated Power System panel shall be used
for circuits powering medical electrical equipment and systems for survival and surgical
applications.
-The system architecture shall be supplied as integrated solution comprising of electrical
switchgear, insulation monitoring device, medical rated transformer (as per NABH and [Link]
this standard.) connected to building management system on non-proprietary or open protocol
communication system.
-Medical Rated Transformer shall conform to IEC 61558-2-15 and need to be protected against
overload and short circuit and temperature monitoring of transformer is needed.
-Insulation monitoring device shall conform to IEC 61557-8. An audible and visual alarm shall be
provided to alert medical and facility personnel.
-For optimum operation of medical equipment, prevention of electromagnetic disturbance is
necessary. The above system shall be tested to attenuate electromagnetic disturbances
15 SAFETY SERVICES
-In medical locations, a power supply for safety services is required which, in case of a failure of
the normal power supply source, shall be energized to feed the equipment stated in detailed
requirements for safety power supply services with electrical energy for a defined period of time
and within a pre-determined changeover period.
-If the voltage at the main distribution board drops in one or several line conductors by more than
10 percent of the nominal voltage, a safety power supply source shall assume the supply
automatically.
-The supply transfer should be achieved with a delay in order to cater for auto re-closure of
circuit-breakers of incoming supplies (short-time interruptions).
-Where socket-outlets are supplied from the safety power supply source they shall be readily
identifiable
Detailed Requirements for Safety Power Supply Services (IS 17512 sec 8.3)
a) Power Supply Sources with a Change-Over Period less than or equal to 0.5 s
In the event of a voltage failure on one or more line conductors at the distribution board, a
electrical source for safety services shall be used which is capable of providing power supply
for a period of at least 3 h for:
– luminaries of operating theatre tables;
– ME equipment containing light sources or equipment essential to the application.
As an example, this equipment may include:
– endoscopes and essential equipment such as monitor;
– critical life-supporting ME equipment.

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The power supply shall be restored within a change-over period not exceeding 0.5 s.
The duration of 3 h battery may be reduced to 1 h, if a power source as diesel generator is
installed.
b) Power Supply Sources with a Change-over Period/less than or equal to 15 s
Equipment according to Safety lighting and Other services shall be connected within 15 s to
a safety power supply source capable of maintaining it for a minimum period of 24 h, when
the voltage of one or more-line conductors at the main distribution board for the safety
services has decreased by more than10 percent of the nominal value of supply voltage and
of a duration greater than 3 s.
c) Power Supply Sources with a Changeover Period greater than 15 s
Equipment other than those covered above, which is required for the maintenance of hospital
services, may be connected either automatically or manually to a safety power supply source
capable of maintaining it for a minimum period of 24 h. This equipment may include, for
example:
– Sterilization equipment;
–Technical building installations, in particular air conditioning, heating and ventilation
systems, building services and waste disposal systems;
– cooling equipment;
– cooking equipment
Safety Lighting
In the event of mains power failure, the necessary minimum illuminance shall be provided from
the safety services source for the following locations.
a) The changeover period to the safety source shall not exceed 15 s:
– escape routes;
– Lighting of exit signs;
– Locations for switchgear and control gear for emergency generation sets and form a in
distribution boards of the normal power supply and for power supply for safety services;
– Rooms in which essential services are intended. In each room at least one luminary shall
be supplied from the power source for safety services;
– Rooms of group 1 medical locations. In each room at least one luminary shall be
supplied from the power supply source for safety services;
– Rooms of group 2 medical locations. A minimum of 50 percent of the lighting shall be
supplied from the power source for safety services.
b) Services other than lighting which require a safety service supply with a changeover period
not exceeding 15 s may include, for example, the following:
– selected lifts for firemen;
– ventilating systems for smoke extraction;
– paging systems;
– Medical electrical equipment used in group 2 medical locations which serves for
surgical or other measures of vital importance. Such equipment will be defined
by responsible staff authorized by the management;
– Electrical equipment of medical gas supply including compressed air, vacuum
supply and narcosis (anesthetics) exhaustion as well as their monitoring
devices;– Fire detection, fire alarms and fire extinguishing systems.
16 VERIFICATION
The dates and results of each verification shall be recorded.
Initial Verification
The tests specified below under items a) to e) in addition to the requirements of 6 of IS 732 shall
be carried out, both prior to commissioning and after alterations or repairs and before re-
commissioning.

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a) Functional test of insulation monitoring devices of medical IT systems and acoustical/visual

alarm systems.
b) Measurements to verify that the supplementary equipotential bonding is in accordance with
Supplementary equipotential bonding.
c) Verification of the integrity of the facilities required with Supplementary equipotential bonding
for equipotential bonding.
d) Verification of the integrity of the requirements of Safety services for safety services.
e) Measurements of leakage current of the output circuit and of the enclosure of medical IT
transformers in no-load condition.

Periodic Verification
Periodic verification of items a) to e) of Initial verification shall be carried out in accordance with
local/national regulations. If no local/national regulations exist, the following intervals are
recommended:

a) Functional testing of changeover devices:12 months;

b) Functional testing of insulation monitoring devices: 12 months;
c) Checking, by visual inspection, settings of protective devices: 12 months;
d) Measurement verifying the supplementary equipotential bonding: 36 months;
e) Verifying integrity of facilities required for equipotential bonding: 36 months;
f) Monthly functional testing of:
– Safety services with batteries: 15 min;
– Safety services with combustion engines: until rated running temperature is
achieved:
12 months for “endurance run”;
– Safety services with batteries: capacity test;
– Safety services with combustion engines:60 min;
In all cases at least 50 percent to 100 percent of the rated power shall be taken over.
g) Measurement of leakage currents of IT transformers: 36 months;
h) Checking of the tripping of RCDs at I∆N: not less than 12 months.
General
Equipotential bonding should be completed in theatres and ICUs as per the above standards.
1. Recommended value of earthing conductor resistance should be all ained. All metallic bodies like
gas lines etc. should come under equipotential bonding.
2. The entire PE conductor shall be insulated with Y/G PVC sleeve/Insulation. Minimum size of PE is
2.5mm2 if mechanically protected or 4mm2 if not protected.
3. All electrical equipments (specifically arc generating type during its working or ON/OFF operation)
should be installed minimum 1.5m above floor level.
4. Steel clading, if any, should be connected to equipotential bonding and electrical continuity must
be ensured including gas lines.
5. IT system (Unearthed power system) should be used by providing medical isolating transformer in
theatres and ICUs for life saving /life supporting equipments after getting the detailed list from
surgeons/physicians of life supporting electro medical equipement.
6. Power distribution for theatre complex should be energised only with redundant cables. In case of
a cable failure, redundant cable should restore the supply at the earliest.
7. All EMI generating equipments must be installed in consultation with medical equipment
supplier/electro medical equipment catalogues.
8. Minimum recommended distance should be strictly implemented for EMI generating equipments.
(Eg. High frequency ballast for fluorescent lighting, power cabling etc..)
9. Minimum 1000 lux shadow-free general lighting other than OT table top lamp should be given in

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theatres.
A dedicated adequately rated standby supply for thetres and ICUs are strongly recommended with
10. AMF panel. Supply source and AMF logic should be able to restore power supply in less than 15
seconds and enough fuel storage should be available for 24hours continuous operation.
11. Acceptable time delay in restoring power supply for various devices, areas of medical
establishment given in the standards should be followed strictly.
12. The limits of touch voltage in operation theatre and ICU are limited to 25 V ac rms.
13. Only TN –S & IT system power supplies are allowed in theatres/ ICUs.
14. Screening/shielding should be completed for CAT/MRI if required /recommended by manufacturer.

15. X-RAY Installations

1. X-ray installations shall confirm to Regulation 54.
2. X-ray room shall be located as far as possible from areas of high occupancy and from maternity /
pediatric wards in the hospital.
3. Only one door is permitted for entry into the X-ray room.
4. Dark room shall be so located that the primary X-ray beam cannot be directed on it.
5. Minimum size of X-ray room shall be 18 sq.m. For CT scan 25 sq.m is required. Single dimension
of the x-ray room shall not be less than 4m.
6. Structural shielding shall be provided against radiation for walls. Walls shall be of approximately
23cm thick (Brick masonry)
7. Unshielded openings in X-ray rooms shall be minimum 2 m above ground.
8. Room housing fluoroscopy equipment must be so designed that adequate darkness can be
achieved conveniently when desired in the room. A suitable red light must be provided in the room
for the use of radiologist after dark adaptation.
9. X-ray equipment shall be installed in such a way that in normal use the primary x-ray beam is not
directed towards control panels, doors, windows, dark room or areas of high occupancy.
10. In the case of diagnostic X-ray equipment operating at 125 kV or above, the control panel must be
installed in a separate control room, provided with appropriate shielding, direct viewing and oral
communication facilities between the operator and the patient.
11. Waiting areas must be provided outside X-ray room.
12. A suitable warning signal such as a red light must be provided at conspicuous place outside the X-
ray room and kept ‘ON’ when the x-ray unit is in use.
13. ELCBs shall be provided in X-ray circuits.
14. Adequate clearance shall be provided around equipments and control panel for easy and
convenient operation.
15. Cable size and earthing conductors of X-ray units of different rating are given in Table 23.
16. Approval shall be obtained from Director, Directorate of Radiation Safety. for X-ray unit installation.
Sanction shall be issued only after producing certificate from D.R.S.
17. Barium sulphate coating should be provided for the walls, if the wall thickness is less than 15cm.
18. Artificial resuscitation chart should be exhibited at a conspicuous location inside the X-ray room.
19. The distance between control panel and X-ray unit shall be minimum 3m.

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Table 23
Cables for X Rays
Cable size Earth
Capacity of X Ray Current rating Backup Fuse
AYFY Conductor
mA kVA Phase A A mm2 mm
30 (Portable) 5 1 22 32 2x6 3.251
50 (Portable) 7.5 3 10.8 32 3x6 3.251
50 7.5 3 10.8 32 3x6 3.251
100 10 3 16 32 3x6 3.251
300 30 3 45 50 3x16 4.064
500 65 3 98 100 3x35 4.064
Note : For equipments such as X Ray, Neon Sign, Lift, Escalator and CT scanner, the fee
specified in the Govt. order will be inclusive of the associated switch boards, earth electrodes
etc...

16. NEON – SIGN Installations

1. Neon installations shall confirm to Regulation 52.
2. Neon-sign boards should be structurally stable.
HT transformers should be adequately enclosed in a vermin proof and dust proof enclosure and
3.
there should not be any exposed live parts.
HT interconnection should be done with cables of adequate insulation and the joints should be
4.
soldered properly.
Midpoint of HT winding of Neon transformers should be rigidly connected to the body of the
transformer and there from to the transformer enclosure by duplicate earth connection of No. 10
5.
SWG copper wire. The transformer enclosure should be rigidly connected to the Neon sign frame
and the frame provided with duplicate earthing.
6. Minimum size of the chamber should be 50 x 50 x 6 cm.
7. Separate circuits with fuse switch isolation at supply end and receiving end should be provided.
8. Neon-sign board should be provided with separate earthing scheme.
Fire proof switch, a linked switch to operate on all phases except the neutral in a three phase four
9. wire circuit, shall be provided at not more than 1.70 m from ground as envisaged in Regulation 52
(1) (ix).
10. Main wiring should be done using rigid PVC / metal conduits.
On the Neon transformer enclosure caution notice “DO NOT OPEN WHEN SUPPLY ON” sign
11.
should be conspicuously marked and standard danger board provided nearby the Neon-sign.

17. Installation of Electric Fence Energizer

The applicant will have to submit a formal application containing the location and area covered by
1.
the electric fence energizer.
Erection and maintenance of the fence shall be carried out under the supervision of an authorized
2.
person.
When the fence is crossing public / private property necessary sanction / NOC from appropriate
3.
agency shall be obtained.
The electric fences shall be installed, operated and maintained in a manner that minimizes danger
to persons, animals or their surroundings. Electric fencing must have its conducting wires
4.
effectively isolated from the ground. The fence structure must be of sufficient strength and
capacity to deliver an electric shock sensation to an animal when it touched.
5. The Energizer shall be of standard make and having following characteristics.

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

a) The impulse repetition rate shall not exceed 1Hz.

b) The out put voltage of energizer shall not exceed 10000 V.
c) The impulse duration of the impulse in the 500 Ohm component of standards load does not
exceed 0.1 seconds.
d) The energy per impulse in the 500 Ohm component of the standard load shall not exceed 5
joules.
e) Mains operated and battery operated energizers suitable for connection to the main shall be
Class II with respect to protection against electric shock.
f) Energizer shall be of minimum degree of protection IPX4 for outdoor installation
Electric fence construction that is likely to lead the entanglement of animals or persons shall be
6.
avoided.
Fences shall not be supplied from two separate energizer or from independent fence circuits of the
same energizer. If the separate fences are supplied from separate energizer, the distance
7.
between the wires of electric fences shall be minimum 2 meter. If the distance is to be less, it shall
be effected by means of electrically non conductive materials or with an isolated metal barrier.
If the energizer is provided with more than one fence circuit the impulse for the individual sets of
8. output terminals shall be synchronized. The duration and repetition of impulse shall be the same
as for the energizer with one circuit.
9. The barbed or razor wires shall not be used.
The energizer shall be earthed independently and a minimum distance of 10 meter shall be
10.
maintained between energizer earth electrodes and any other earthing system.
Connecting leads of energizer that are run inside building shall be effectively insulated from the
earthed structural part of building and if that are run underground shall be run in conduit of
11.
insulating materials or with insulated H.V cables. Care must be taken to avoid the damage caused
by the effect of animal hooves or rodents or by farming tools.
Energizer live wires shall not be installed in the same conduits as the electrical domiciliary
12.
installation, communication, TV, data etc.
The connecting leads and fence wires shall not cross OH power lines/communication lines. If such
13. crossing cannot be avoided, it shall be taken underneath of the power lines and as nearly as
possible at right angle to it.
The minimum clearance as shown shall be maintained for connecting leads / electric fences wire
which are installed near OH power lines.
14. Less than or equal to 1000V 3 metre
Between 1000V and 33 kV 4 metre
Above 33kV 8 metre.
Height of electric fence above ground shall not exceed 3metre for either side of power line for a
15.
distance of 2 meter for voltage up to 1000 V and 15 meter for a voltage exceeding 1000 V.
Where an electric fence crossing a public pathway, a non-electrified gate or stiles shall be
16. provided and warning signs shall be provided at adjacent electrified wires. The warning signal at
not greater than 50metre interval of fences where there is public access.
The conducting wires of fence shall be made of non-corrosive material. The joints in the wire shall
17.
be made either by knotting or with double crimp sleeve joiner.
A cut out switch shall be used to isolate parts of fences without need to turn off the energizer and
18.
the switches shall be capable of isolating and insulating a voltage level of 10 kV.
The fence wires running under the telephone wires or parallel to underground telephone cables
19.
for any distance shall be avoided.
Electric fence bordering public thoroughfares are required to have a warning sign at least
20.
20 cm x 10 cm size with yellow back ground and black letters. “CAUTION : Electric animal fence”.
21. In dry areas with low rain flow registers there is a severe decrease of the conductivity through the

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

ground. In such place, ‘Ground wire return system’ of earthing shall be preferable.
For Electric security fences used for security purpose shall comprise an electric fence and a
22. physical barrier not less than 1.5 meter in height intended to prevent inadvertent contact with the
pulsed conductors of the Electric fence.
23. Electric fence installation should conform to IS 302-2-76/1999 and IEC 60335-2-76/2002.
Inspection fee of Rs 2500/- (Rupees Two Thousand and Five Hundred Only) per circuit of
24.
energizer shall be remitted by the applicant under the head of account 0043-102.

18. Installation of Digital Projectors in Cinema Theatres

1. The equipment shall be installed in the cabin itself.
2. Sufficient working space shall be maintained around the proposed projector.
The height of projection shall not be less than 2.1m from the top most portion of the auditorium
3.
floor level.
4. The cabin shall be in-charge of a licensed Cinema Operator for the operation of Digital Projector.
Separate sanction shall be obtained from the District Electrical Inspector for the installation of
5.
Digital Projectors.
6. This equipment can be permitted in addition to the existing Arc lamp projector or independently.
7. Separate circuit shall be provided for the Digital Projectors.
8. Quality of the picture and sound produced by the Digital Projector shall be ensured.
All the relevant rules as per Kerala Cinema (Regulation) Rules 1988 shall be made applicable to
9.
the cinema installation with Digital Projectors.

19. Installation of Broad Band Cable TV

1. A minimum ground clearance of 3050 mm shall be maintained for RF cables taken along the
street.
When cables are drawn across the road a minimum ground clearance of 5800 mm shall be
2.
maintained.
A minimum vertical clearance of 1200 mm shall be maintained for RF Cables from the lowest
3.
Power conductor.
High Tensile, stranded bare hot dip galvanized steel wire having minimum breaking strength of
4.
350 kg. shall be used as bearer wire.
Porcelain tension and pin insulators suitable for medium voltage installation shall be used for
5.
stringing the bearer wire.
The bearer wire shall be sectionalized and shall not exceed four spans. Each section of the
6. bearer wire shall be provided with duplicate earthing, by earthing the beginning and end of each
section, Sectionalising shall also be done at all places where interlinking are given for power lines.
No.8 SWG GI wires shall be used for earthing, Earthing shall be done using proper contacts at
both ends of the G.I. wire. Earth electrodes shall be of 38mm diameter and 2500 mm long, class-
7.
B, G.I. pipe. The earth wire shall be connected to the pipe using GI bolts, nuts and washers for
proper contact. Britannia Joint shall make the connection to the bearer wire for earthing.
The pole clamp assembly shall be fixed to the utility pole, such that, a minimum horizontal
8. clearance of 130mm is maintained between the bearer wire and pole. The clamps shall be hot dip
galvanized to resist corrosion.
The RF cable shall be lashed to the bearer wire using spiral band of minimum 150mm long, at
9.
intervals of 1250mm.
The RF Cables shall be mechanically sturdy, lightweight, electrically insulated and have low
resistance and low attenuation at higher frequencies. The electrical insulation shall be rated for
10.
650V. The RF cable shall maintain a minimum clearance of 130mm from the utility pole, support
bracket, street light bracket, etc. A minimum clearance of 1200 mm shall be maintained from
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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

11kV distribution transformer body, capacitor, switchgear body etc, Expansion loops shall be
provided at supports to prevent unrestrained movement of RF cables.
The connectors used shall be weather proof, and made of material with lowest co-efficient of
11. expansion to avoid loose contacts. Connectors at the customer premises shall be fully insulated
and shock proof.
Low voltage double wound isolation transformer shall power the booster amplifier used in the
Network. The operating voltage of the amplifier shall not exceed 110 Volts. The primary supply to
12.
the transformers shall be 240V single phase, controlled by an MCB and 30 m A rated ELCB. The
power cubicle shall be effectively earthed using standard earth electrodes.
Customer drop cables shall be taken only through standard tap-off box installed at the support
poles, and the drop cable shall be supported on separate bare wire tied to the pole. The bare wire
carrying the drop cable shall be strung to a suitable non-metallic point, using tension insulator, at
13.
the consumer’s premises. The bare wire carrying the drop cable shall be connected to the main
bare wire using Britannia joint. Under no circumstances shall the drop cable taken along the
trunk/sub distribution RF, cable and teed.
Power block shall be provided to the drop cable brought to the customer’s premises. The
14. capacitors used for AC blocking shall be 2kV rated and the capacitance value shall be 220pf to
470pf.
Copy of the agreement with the KSEBL/Licensee and sanction received if any shall be forwarded
15. immediately. The updated list of eligible applicants will be furnished to the District Offices from
time to time.
Erection of cables and subsequent maintenance of the Network shall be carried out under the
16.
supervision of the authorized person of the utility adopting all safety precautions.
When crossing of Public/Private property, necessary sanction from appropriate agency shall be
17.
obtained.
The owner of the network shall submit the application for renewal of Safety Certificate at least one
18. month before the expiry of validity along with the fee for such inspection prescribed by the Chief
Electrical Inspector
Statement giving details of number of customers, length of cable Network, number of power
19. connections availed for amplifiers, area of jurisdiction of the supplier (Electrical Section) shall be
furnished to the Chief Electrical Inspector at the end of every financial year ending 31st March.
Details of the customers, including name, address etc. shall be maintained at the administrative
20.
office and made available when called for.
Safety provisions under the Indian Electricity Act, 1910 Indian Electricity Rules, 1956, Electricity
21.
(Supply) Act, 1948 shall be strictly adhered to.`
The fee for Cable TV Network inspections will be Rs. 10/- per pole per year for both initial and
22. periodical inspections. The fee is debatable under the head "0043 - 102". The fee is tentatively
fixed and it is subjected to revision as per Government decision.
The applicant will have to submit a formal application to the Electrical Inspector. The application
should contain the area map and other details such as number of KSEBL poles utilized, cable
23.
route, copy of sanction order issued by the KSEB and necessary technical particulars of the cable
TV network.

20. For availing separate LT supply for mobile / wireless phone services
at HT / High rise Building premises.
The KSEBL/ Licensee LT supply availed for such mobile/ wireless phone services shall not be
1. 2.
extended to any electrical installation / premises inside the HT / High rise Building premises or
1.
outside.
2. The supply from the independent generator of the Mobile / Wireless phone service shall not be

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

extended to any other electrical installation.

If the generator is installed on the ro of of any building, the height of the generator installation shall
3.
not be taken as part of the height of the building.
An emergency push button switch shall be provided at a conspicuous position at not more than
4. 2.75m above the ground so as to isolate all the electric supplies to the HT/ High rise Building
premises. For this, the main switch of all the supplies shall have facility for remote tripping.

21. Installation of Solar Energy System

a)Technical
The minimum qualification for carrying out the installation work of solar energy system shall be
1. a licensed B-Class Contractor. Depending up on the capacity of the installation, eligible
contractors can carry out the work.
Verify, whether the inverter is grid tied or not. Inverter capacity shall be selected based on the
solar PV generation, so that maximum generation can be utilized. The design of inverter should
2.
be as per the Indian / International Standard and efficiency of the inverter should be more than
97%.
Solar inverter details and its specifications and Solar PV module details such as number of
3.
modules, wattage, voltage, current etc. shall be verified.
PV module shall be MNRE approved. The certificate of MNRE approval shall be verified. If the
4. PV module is not MNRE approved, certificate from MNRE approved lab shall be obtained.
In the grid tied System, ensure that there is no back feeding to the grid when grid supply is off
and anti-islanding protection shall be ensured during grid failure including neutral. The Inverter
5.
should shut down automatically if there is a power blackout or a fault with SPV for safety of the
personal and other equipments. Certificate from the manufacturer shall be obtained.
In case consumer want to use SPV power for its use at the time of grid failure, he has to install
6. an automatic switching system to isolate grid supply from SPV system to use the supply from
SPV with Battery system safely.
The adequacy of cable size for solar PV System shall be verified and ensured. The cable shall
7. be UV Protected. If the inverter is installed in the lower floor, the DC cable shall be laid through
the outer wall of the building.
8. An energy meter shall be provided for recording the solar energy generated.

9. If it is grid tied, it shall be ensured that Bi-directional meter (Net meter) is provided at the
interconnection point to record the import and export of energy.
Battery and inverter shall be segregated properly with fire proof partition or minimum 75 cm
10. clearance shall be ensured between them. Easy and safe accessibility to panel for cleaning
shall be provided.
If the proposed installation is having a DG set and intended to work in synchronization with
11. Solar system, reverse power relay shall be provided to avoid back feeding to DG set. In the
case of back feeding, reverse power relay shall trip Solar inverter.
A lockable isoIator should also be Installed at the point of inter connection with the grid
12. connected SPV system which should be accessible to the utility staff to isolate the system at
the time of maintenance of the distribution system.
PV module frames, array structures, equipment and enclosures, AC conductors and lightning
13. conductors shall be earthed as per IS 3043/2018 and section 7.4.2 of IEC 62458/2016. AC and
DC side earthing shall be interconnected
Frames of all PV modules shall be connected to one continuous earthing conductor. The
14. earthing conductor shall be rated for 1.56 times the maximum short circuit current of the PV
array.

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

The minimum size of earthig conductor for PV equipment shall be 6 mm2 if copper, 10 mm' if,
aluminium or 70 mm2 if hot-dipped galvanized iron. Resistance between any point of the PV
15.
system and earth should not be greater than 5Ω. All the earthing should be provided with two
parallel paths with separate earth electrodes.
Each string should be provided with two fuses, one connected to the positive and the other to
16.
the negative terminal of the string.
PV string connected in parallel shall have matched open circuit voltage within 5% per string to
17.
avoid circulating current. (Refer section 5.1.6 of IEC 62548/2016).
Cable size for PV string cable, PV sub-array cable and PV array main cable shall be selected
18.
as per section 7.3.7 of IEC 62548/2016
DC surge arresters shall be Provided at DC side and it shall be of Type 2 (as per IEC 61643-1
IEC 62548/2016) rated at a continuous operating voltage of at least 125 percent of the open-
circuit voltage of the PV string, and a flash current of more than 5 A. As the string inverters used
for roof top PV systems do not allow more than 800 VDC, surge arrestors rated for 1,000 VDC
19. are commonly used. The surge arrestors should be connected to both positive and negative
outgoing terminal of the string junction box. If the inverter is provided with in-build SPD this may
not be insisted. AC side of inverter shall also be provided with a SPD of adequate rating. SPDs
shall be selected based on the voltage impulse withstanding capacity of the equipment to be
protected.
For large PV systems a dedicated lightning protection system shall be provided as per IEC
20. 62305 and section 7.4.2 of IEC 62548/2016. Existing lightning protection of a building may be
considered sufficient for this purpose, provided it adequately protects the installation area.
All PV equipment installed outdoors should have an increase protection rating of at least IP 65.
21. All the inverters installed outdoors shall be recommended to provide an additional shading
arrangement to avoid direct sunlight.
All The PV Equipment shall be labeled as per IEC 62446-2009-05.
• All circuits, protective devices, switches and terminals shall be suitably labeled.
• All DC junction boxes shall be labelled for indicating active parts inside the boxes fed from
a PV array.
22.
• Main AC isolating switch shall be clearly labelled with dual supply warning and a single
line wiring diagram shall be displayed.
• Inverter protection settings, installer details and emergency shutdown procedures shall be
displayed on site
23. PV system shall not inject DC current greater than 1 percent of the inverter rated output current
into the grid.
24. Solar inverters shall be rated for THD(I) of less than 3 percent of power injected into the grid.
25. Galvanized iron (GI) or aluminium shall be used for module mounting structures.
The installation shall conform to the following Act, Rules, Regulations & Standards .
• Central Electricity Authority( installation and operation of meters) Regulation 2010 as
amended from time to time.
• The relevant provision of the Central Electricity Authority (Measures Relating to Safety
and Electric Supply) Regulations, 2010 and The Electricity Act, 2003.
• The Relevant provision of CEA regulation as notified by CEA (Standard fot Connectivity of
Distributed Generation Resources), Regulations, 2013.
• CEA (Technical Standard for connectivity of the Grid) Regulation 2007 as amended from
the time to time.
• Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission (Renewable Energy and Net metering)

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

Regulations 2020
• National Solar Mission-Best Practice Guide published by MNRE, Govt of India 2016 shall
be referred for general guidelines.
• Various orders/circulars/Technical specifications related to solar plants published by the
State Government & Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission
b) General
Solar Installation capacity <10kW Scheme Approval and sanction for energisation are not
required from the department of Electrical Inspectorate.
10kW≥Solar Installation capacity Scheme Approval not required from the department of
≤30kW Electrical Inspectorate. Completion report and single line
diagram shall be submitted by the consumer through a
competent eIectrical contractor and sanction for
1.
energisation shall be obtained from the district office
concerned.
Solar Installation capacity >30kW Scheme Approval and sanction for energisation shall be
obtained from the office concerned.
Note:- If the said installation is an addition to the existing HT installation, then the as-fitted
drawings for such changes shall get approved from the district office.
For the installation above 30kW and below 500kW, prior scheme approval and sanction for
2.
energisation orders shall be obtained from the district office concerned.
For the installations including 500kW and above, prior scheme approval and sanction for
3.
energisation orders shall be obtained from the office of the Chief Electrical Inspector.
4. for the scrutiny and inspection, the check list given in the annexure shall be followed.
The following tests shall be conducted at the time of inspection:
a. PV Module: Irradiance measurement, angle of inclination, temperature of the PV module
5. and V-I characteristics using PV Array Tester.
b. Solar Inverter: Efficiency, input voltage, output voltage, power, THD, DG injection flicker
etc. and anti-islanding protection.
While issuing sanction for energisation for Solar Energy System, following conditions to be
6. included in addition to normal conditions:
a. Consent from the licensee shall be obtained (In case of grid tied system).
c) scrutiny / inspection of Solar Energy System
1. Up to 5kW solar plants, two numbers of earth electrodes are sufficient and LA shall be provided in
lightning prone area.
2. Above 5kW and up to 100kW solar plants, three numbers of earth electrodes are sufficient and
LA shall be provided.
3. These earth electrodes shall be interconnected to existing earth electrodes and total earth
resistance shall be less than 5 Ω.
4. Equipotential bonding shall be done as per IEC TR 63227:2020.
5. Lockable CB/SFU shall be installed at the point of interconnection with the grid connected SPV
system which should be accessible to the utility staff to isolate the system at the time of
maintenance of distribution system.

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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

22. Communication /Optical Fibre Cable on Distribution Network Power Line Supports.
A minimum ground clearance of 4000mm shall be maintained for Optical Fibre cables taken along
1.
the street.
When cables are drawn across the road, a minimum ground clearance of 5800mm shall be
2.
maintained
A minimum vertical clearance of 1200mm shall be maintained for Optical Fibre cables from lowest
3.
power conductor when run under LT lines and 2440mm from 11kV lines.
All Dielectric Self Supporting (ADSS) cable shall possess good performance characteristics such
4. as anti-impact, anti-vibration, anti-bending, prevention of thermal aging, flame retardant and UV
protected.
ADSS cable specification shall conform to the latest editions of the relevant International Electro
5.
Technical Commission (IEC), IEEE and BIS.
Elements consisting of ADSS cable shall be non-metallic, shall possess anti-electromagnetic,
strong endurance of electrical effect and in worst case scenario no electricity should be conducted
6.
from the surface of the ADSS cable, when charged electrical conductor touches the surface of
ADSS cable.
In work sites, all metallic equipment including hardware anchors and structures shall be common
bonded together and then grounded to ensure safety. ADSS cable shall be grounded between the
7. work area and the spans when splicing ADSS cable during wet or rainy conditions near active high
voltage phase conductors for preventing dangerous leakage currents and transients from flowing
through personnel.
Pole Attachment Hardware / Brackets and supporting assembly for Fiber Optic Cable in electric
8.
poles shall be earthed.
9. Optical Fiber Cables Should not pass through/connected to Transformer Structures
10. Maximum of two cables of all service providers put together per pole may be allowed due to
technical constraints and electrical safety concern.
11. Erection of cables and subsequent maintenance of the network shall be carried out under the
supervision of the authorized person of the Utility adopting all safety precautions. No such works
shall be carried out on the electric poles from 6PM to 8 AM except on emergency situations.
12. Copy of the agreement with the KSEB Ltd/Licensee and sanction received, if any shall be
forwarded while applying for Safety Certificate.
13. Optical Fibre Cables should not be run above the power lines. It should always be below power
lines.
14. Pole Attachment Hardware / Brackets and supporting assembly for Optical Fibre Cable shall be
fixed to the utility pole, such that, a minimum horizontal clearance of 130mm is maintained
between the cable and the pole.
15. Power supply to the booster unit/Optical Amplifier unit/MUX, if required, should not be taken
directly from the power lines. The primary supply to the such units shall be controlled by an
MCB/MCCB and 30mA rated ELCB. The power cubicle shall be effectively earthed.
16. When crossing of Public/Private Property, necessary consent from appropriate agency shall be
obtained
17. The network shall be subjected to periodical inspection by the Electrical Inspector and fee for such
inspection prescribed by the Government shall be paid on demand.
18. Statement giving details of number of customers, length of cable network, route map shown,
number of poles, number of power connections availed for amplifiers/node, area of jurisdiction of
the supplier (Electrical Section) shall be furnished to the Deputy Chief Electrical Inspector/
Electrical Inspector at the end of every financial year ending on 31st March.
19. Details of the customers, including name, address etc shall be maintained at the administrative
office and made available when called for.
20. The relevant provisions of Regulation 68 & 69 of Central Electricity Authority (Measures relating to
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Draft- Technical guidelines (Dept. of Electrical Inspectorate, Kerala)

Safety and Electric Supply), Regulations,2010 shall be strictly adhered to.

21. Safety Provision under Electricity Act 2003 and Central Electricity Authority (Measures relating to
Safety and Electric Supply), Regulations,2010 shall be strictly adhered to.
22. The installation shall conform to IS/IEC 60794: 2001.

(Sd/-)
Chief Electrical Inspector

53