Posts by Venugopal Pillai

Nine ISTS-TBCB schemes fully commissioned in FY25

Latest official statistics suggest that nine interstate transmission system (ISTS) schemes, awarded under the tariff-based competitive bidding (TBCB) route, were fully commissioned during the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025. While Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) accounted Read more

With 45 schemes awarded, FY25 proves very eventful for ISTS-TBCB market

Fiscal year FY25 that closed on March 31, 2025 has been a record year for the ISTS-TBCB market, on several counts. Based on an exclusive study by T&D India, FY25 saw as many as 45 interstate transmission system (ISTS) Read more

Bihar leads in smart meter installations

Bihar today is the leading state in terms of consumer smart meter installations, official statistics suggest. According to data available on the National Smart Grid Mission portal, as of March 18, 2025, Bihar had a total of 63.55 lakh Read more

India’s power transmission sector is exceptionally attractive for lending institutions: Avener Capital

In this exchange with T&D India, we have Abhishek Kumar, Executive Director, Avener Capital, giving insights into new paradigms in the power transmission sector, touching upon aspects like enhanced involvement of private sector entities thanks to the TBCB Read more

Right-of-way constraints impeding progress of 14 critical ISTS projects

Issues relating to right-of-way (RoW) are impeding the progress of 14 critical interstate transmission system (ISTS) projects, it was recently informed in Parliament. In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Shripad Naik, Minister of State Read more

Xbattery launches indigenously developed battery management system

Xbattery, an energy storage solutions innovator based at T-Hub, Hyderabad, has announced the official launch of BharatBMS, a high-voltage Battery Management System (BMS) which is understood to be India’s first indigenously developed BMS. In a release, Xbattery said that Read more

Hitachi ABB HVDC | T&D India

CERC approves transmission tariff of Khavda HVDC project

Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has approved and adopted the annual transmission charge (tariff) of the mega Khavda HVDC project that Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) won under the tariff-based competitive bidding ( Read more

PFCCL empanels ten AMISPs for smart metering projects under RDSS

PFC Consulting Ltd (PFCCL) has empaneled ten entities that would be eligible to participate as Advanced Metering Infrastructure Service Providers (AMISP) for smart metering projects under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS). PFCCL would be Read more

hydropower

Bidding annulled for hydropower evacuation scheme in Himachal Pradesh

Bid process coordinator REC Power Development & Consultancy Ltd (RECPDCL) has annulled the bidding process for an interstate transmission system (ISTS) scheme for evacuation of upcoming hydropower projects in Himachal Pradesh. RECPDCL has scrapped the bidding Read more

Godrej Enterprises Group sees substations EPC as a key focus area

Godrej Enterprises Group views EPC of power substations as a focus area, and foresees itself as a specialized substations player in the years to come. Addressing a media roundtable in Mumbai recently, Raghavendra Mirji, Executive Vice President & Business Read more