REL, L&T, Tata in fray for 1st pvt power line

The Tata Group, Essar, Reliance Energy and Larsen & Toubro (L&T) are among the dozen companies in race to build India's first fully independent private power transmission line in Gujarat and Maharashtra at an estimated
investment of Rs 1,500 crore.

State-run transmission monopoly Power Grid Corporation of India, which had invited bids for the independent grid lines associated with the western region in November 2005, will select the private company by June this year so as to complete the two projects by 2009.

"Tata Power, Reliance Energy, Essar Power, Larsen & Toubro, GMR Group, Kalptaru Power, Gammon India, Jyoti Structures, China Light & Power and four Spanish companies, including Isolex Wat and Abengoa, are in the fray for the projects," Power Grid chairman R P Singh said today.

Singh said a total of 28 bid documents were purchased, and 12 companies participated in the pre-bid conference for the projects. "We will have another pre-bid conference on April 18, and the bids would be opened in June," he added.

While one project is for building sub-stations and grid lines in Southern Maharashtra at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore, the other will be set up in Gujarat with an investment of about Rs 500 crore.