Hitachi ABB Power Grids India, along with consortium partner Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL), has successfully energized the first stage of the 6,000 megawatt (MW) +/-800 kilovolt (kV) Ultra-high Voltage Direct Current (UHVDC) transmission link connecting Raigarh in Central India to Pugalur in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
When completed, the approximately 1,800-kilometer-long two-way transmission line will have the capacity to meet the electricity needs of over 80 million people in India. This link will assist India on the journey towards increasing amounts of renewable power, by bringing large amounts of renewable energy to the high consumption centers. When wind strength is low, it will support electricity demand in the South, and when it is in excess, transmit clean energy to the North.
That is also one of the key initiatives of the Government of India to increase renewable energy capacity to 450 gigawatts in the nation’s electricity mix, and is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goal of affordable and clean energy.
“This is a proud moment for us. We have been involved in this project since 2016. With the completion of the first phase of the 6,000 MW +/-800 kV UHVDC project, braving difficulties posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, we will enable clean and reliable power for millions of people in the country. We are strongly committed to supporting the Government’s mission to bring 24/7 reliable power to all,” said N Venu, Managing Director, Hitachi ABB Power Grids India.
Occupying one-third of the space of a traditional AC transmission, HVDC transmission links help to conserve land. In the current case, that amounts to a saving of approximately 244 square kilometres – about one-third the area of Bangalore. The mega project will also feature technologies selected to minimize the footprint of the transmission stations.
The consortium of Hitachi ABB Power Grids and state-owned engineering and manufacturing firm BHEL had won the order for the Raigarh-Pugalur 800 kV UHVDC transmission link from India’s national electricity grid operator Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID) in 2016. The project encompasses design, engineering, supply, installation, testing, commissioning of complete UHVDC converter terminal stations as well as major equipment supplies including 800 kV converter transformers, converter valves, cooling systems and control and protection technology.
Hitachi ABB Power Grids is the global market leader and partner of choice for stronger, smarter and greener grids around the world. The company has an impressive HVDC track record in India, where it introduced the technology over 30 years ago with the Vindhyachal project in 1989. Raigarh-Pugalur is the company’s sixth HVDC project in India and the second UHVDC installation, following the multi-terminal North-East Agra link.
