ABB, a global power and automation technology major, has bagged an order worth more than Rs 4,000 crore from the Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd to deliver an ultrahigh-voltage direct current (UHVDC) transmission system. The link will supply hydropower from the mountainous northeast India to the populous region of Agra, 1,700 kilometres away.
ABB in India will book over Rs 500 crore of the total order value for local equipment supplies and will additionally contribute to the project with design and engineering services. The revenues are expected to start flowing in from the second half of 2012. “Northeast India has abundant hydro-power resources spread over a large area while the load centres are often located thousands of kilometres away. India plans to create pooling points in the region to collect electricity generated from several hydro-power stations and transport it across power superhighways to major urban load centres,” ABB said in a statement.
The UHVDC link, operating at 800 kilovolts (kV) will have a converter capacity of 8,000 megawatts (Mw). When operating at full capacity, it will have the means to supply electricity to 90 million people based on the present figures for average national consumption. The system will have two “sending” stations and will convert power from alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) for transmission over a single power line and deliver electricity to a third “receiving” station in Agra where it will be converted back to AC for distribution to end users. The power link will pass through the so called “chicken neck area”; a very narrow patch of land (22 km wide x 18 km long) in the state of West Bengal, which borders Nepal and Bangladesh.
Using ultrahigh-volt-age transmission, helps to minimise losses and improve efficiency. The deployment of a multi-terminal solution as compared to running se-parate power links, brings considerable cost reductions.
“We are a fast growing economy with an increasing demand for electricity.” said Bazmi Husain, Country Manager and MD of ABB in India. “ABB has facilitated the development of India’s power infrastructure for decades. Having introduced several new technologies to the country, including HVDC and successfully executed several subsequent projects, we are proud to have been awarded this landmark order that will set new global benchmarks.”
ABB will execute the North-East Agra transmission project together with Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd, who will deliver the remainder of the project. The total project is worth about Rs 5000 crore and will be executed on a turnkey basis including design, system engineering, supply, installation and commissioning. It is scheduled to go into operation in 2015.