More transmission infrastructure is being planned in the Kallam area of Maharashtra, to support the growing demand for renewable energy (RE) evacuation.
This scheme officially termed as “Western Region Network Expansion Scheme in Kallam area of Maharashtra” is expected to cost around Rs.160 crore and would have an envisaged gestation period of 24 months.
This scheme was discussed an agreed upon in a joint study meeting involving CEA, CTUIL, Grid-India and MSETCL in March this year. The project will now come up for deliberation at the upcoming 14th meeting of the National Committee on Transmission (NCT) scheduled to be held on July 7, 2023.
NCT will also decide upon the mode of implementation of this project – whether TBCB or RTM – at the meeting.
The project, among other things, will involve setting up of a 15-km LILO of both circuits of the 400kV Parli-Karjat double-circuit line at the Kallam pooling station (PS). It will also entail four 400kV line bays (AIS) at the Kallam PS end.
Rationale
Around 2 GW of renewable energy capacity has been indentified at the Kallam PS. The transmission system for evacuation of power from RE projects in Osmanabad area (1 GW) in Maharashtra is presently under implementation by Kallam Transmission Ltd, won under the TBCB mechanism. The project is scheduled to commission by October 2023. Moreover, augmentation of transformation capacity at Kallam PS by addition of 2×500 MVA, 400/220kV ICTs (3rd and 4th) along with 220kV bays for RE interconnection is also under implementation, as an RTM project, also by Kallam Transmission Ltd – a wholly-owned subsidiary of India Grid Trust (IndiGrid).
This RTM component, expected to complete by May 2024, will enable injection of additional 1 GW at 220kV level at Kallam PS. Additional connectivity has also been granted to Torrent Power at 400kV level (through one bay).
Hence, the cumulative requirement for evacuation at Kallam PS would be 3.25 GW, comprising 2 GW at 220kV level and 1.25 GW at the 400kV level.
The new transmission scheme under discussion, “Western Region Network Expansion Scheme in Kallam area of Maharashtra” is designed to enable evacuation of power beyond 1 GW (and up to 3.25 GW) at Kallam PS, by alleviating constraints in the area.
Key to abbreviations: LILO = loop-in, loop-out; CEA = Central Electricity Authority; Grid-India = Grid Controller of India Ltd; CTUIL = Central Transmission Utility of India Ltd; MSETCL = Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company Ltd; RTM = Regulatory Tariff Mechanism; TBCB = Tariff-based Competitive Bidding.
Featured photograph (source: IndiGrid) shows work underway on the Kallam Transmission Ltd project.
