In what could its biggest collective win, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) has announced the winning of five interstate transmission system (ISTS) projects, under the tariff-based competitive bidding route.
In a recent stock exchange filing, PGCIL announced that it has been declared as successful bidder under the TBCB modality to develop five ISTS schemes on build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) basis.
PGCIL received the letters of intent of these five projects on February 17, 2023.
The projects to be developed as officially termed as:
1. Transmission network expansion in Gujarat associated with integration of RE projects from Khavda potential RE zone
2. Inter-regional ER-WR Interconnection
3. Establishment of Khavda Pooling Station-2 (KPS2) in Khavda RE Park
4. Transmission scheme for evacuation of 4.5GW RE injection at Khavda PS under Phase II- Part B
5. Transmission scheme for evacuation of 4.5GW RE injection at Khavda PS under Phase II- Part C
All the projects (except #2) are related to renewable energy evacuation from the western region, mainly Gujarat.
The brief scope of the projects, in serial order, is:
1. Establishment of 765kV D/C transmission lines passing through Gujarat
2. Establishment of 400kV D/C transmission lines traversing Orissa and Chhattisgarh, and bays extension works
3. Setting up of a new 765/400kV GIS at Khavda in Gujarat
4. Establishment of 765kV D/C transmission lines passing through Gujarat, and bays extension works
5. Establishment of a new 765/400kV substation at Ahmedabad and bays extension work at Navsari in Gujarat; and 765kV D/C transmission lines passing through Gujarat
BPC
Based on information available from reliable sources, T&D India learns that the bid process coordinator for all the five projects discussed above is REC Power Development & Consultancy Ltd (RECPDCL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of REC Ltd.
Bidders in fray
For all the five projects put together, bidders in the fray included PGCIL (the winner of all five), Sterlite Power, Adani Transmission, GR Infraprojects, Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd and Apraava Energy (formerly CLP India). The bidding process also witnessed the entry of two relatively new companies – Juniper Green Transmission Pvt Ltd and Dineshchandra R. Agrawal Infracon Pvt Ltd.
Project SPVs
T&D India learns that the project special purpose vehicles for the projects, in serial order, are:
1 Khavda RE Transmission Ltd
2. ERWR Power Transmission Ltd (updated on March 9, 2023)
3. KPS2 Transmission Ltd
4. Khavda II-B Transmission Ltd
5. Khavda II-C Transmission Ltd
Project Annulled
In the context of two projects discussed in this story (Transmission scheme for evacuation of 4.5 GW RE injection at Khavda PS under Phase II- Part B and Part C), it may be mentioned that a similar project “Transmission scheme for evacuation of 4.5 GW RE injection at Khavda PS under Phase II- Part D” was also planned. RECPDCL had also incorporated a project SPV called “Khavda II-D Transmission Ltd”. However, this project has been scrapped and the bidding process has been annulled.
