Adani Energy Solutions Ltd (AESL), in a statement, said that it has fully commissioned the 765kV Warora-Kurnool interregional transmission line, spanning 1,756 ckm, and straddling Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
The line is part of the interstate transmission system (ISTS) project officially termed as “Development of additional interregional AC link for import into Southern region.” The project was developed by AESL (then Adani Transmission Ltd) under the project SPV “Warora Kurnool Transmission Ltd (WKTL).”
The project will strengthen the national grid to ensure seamless power flow of 4,500 mw between Western region and Southern region. It will strengthen southern region grid and support large-scale integration of generation from renewable energy sources.
Taken over
WKTL was originally awarded to Essel Infraprojects Ltd under the tariff-based competitive bidding mechanism (TBCB) in July 2016 but was subsequently taken over by AESL in March 2021, as part of the stressed debt restructuring undertaken by lenders.
Project scope
Developed under the build, own, operate & maintain (BOOM) mode with concession period of 35 years, WKTL is the largest 765kV double-circuit (hexa-conductor) project awarded under a single scheme, through the TBCB mechanism. Apart from the 765kV Warora-Kurnool line, the project also involved development of a 765kV substation at Warangal in Telangana.
Colossal project
The AESL release noted that the project’s magnitude can be gauged from the fact that a total of 1,03,000 tonnes of steel was used for erecting the towers. This equals the amount of material that would be needed to set up 10 Eiffel Towers. A total of 30,154 km of conductor was used for the transmission lines, comparable to making three rounds of the moon.
An engineering and execution marvel, two mid-stream towers of 102m height each with pile foundations was set up on the Krishna River for the first time ever. Planning and execution was crucial for this, as only a three-month working window was available during the year, when the water level is low in the river. Among the other challenges were the erection of towers and the stringing of lines duly crossing 116 major power lines, railway electrified tracks and national highways.
Superlative accomplishments:
The project execution was marked by superlative achievements that included:
- 1,524 ckm of stringing was completed in 11 months, at a rate of 140 ckm/ month
- 100 tonnes of tower erected per day with average 15 gangs and a peak mobilization of 40 gangs
- Peak mobilization of 2,000 workers across sites
- The project also braved two black swan global events: COVID-19 and Russia-Ukraine war. These caused disruptions in the entire commodity supply chain as well as leading to repeated demobilization and mobilization challenges.
Components of the mega line
According to informational available from official sources but not contained in the AESL release, the main components of the 765kV Warora-Kurnool interregional transmission line, include:
- Warora (Pool) to Warangal (New Substation): 664 ckm
- Warangal (New Substation) to Hyderabad: 268 ckm
- Hyderabad to Kurnool: 337 ckm
- Warangal (New Substation) to Chilakaluripeta: 390 ckm
Some of these components were commissioned earlier in 2023 (around August) but AESL has now achieved full project commissioning.
Also read: Adani Energy Bankrolls $1-Billion Mumbai HVDC Link Project
Featured photograph is purely for representation.
