Five developers have been prequalified for opening of initial price bids of an ISTS-TBCB scheme housed under “Kurnool-IV Transmission Ltd.”
Bid process coordinator REC Power Development & Consultancy Ltd (RECPDCL) has pre-qualified the following five entities:
- Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd
- Sterlite Power
- Adani Energy Solutions Ltd
- Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd
- Tata Power
According to current timelines, RECPCDL expects to conclude the developer selection and transfer ownership of “Kurnool-IV Transmission Ltd” to the winning bidder by March 10, 2025.
The ISTS-TBCB scheme incorporated under “Kurnool-IV Transmission Ltd” is referred to as “Transmission system for integration of Kurnool-IV REZ – Phase-I (for 4.5 GW)” and is taking shape in Andhra Pradesh.
With an estimated cost of Rs.5,550 crore (as estimated by National Committee on Transmission), this scheme has an envisaged completion timeframe of 24 months from the date of formal SPV transfer.
The project entails, among various other elements, setting up of the new Kurnool-IV Pooling Station (4×1500 MVA, 765/400kV and 4×500 MVA, 400/220kV) that will be connected to the Kurnool-III PS and the 765kV Bidar substation.
The Kurnool-IV scheme seeks to create infrastructure for evacuating about 4.5 GW of renewable energy from the Kurnool region. Connectivity of about 4.75 GW has been granted or agreed for grant at Kurnool-IV Pooling Station, it is learnt.
The Kurnool area has an additional RE potential of 23 GW. Along with 20 GW in Ananthapur and 8 GW in Kadapa, the total additional RE potential in Andhra Pradesh is estimated at 51 GW.
Andhra Pradesh has the highest additional RE potential in the southern region, which has a total of 86 GW. The remaining additional potential is spread over Karnataka, Telangana and Tamil Nadu (offshore).
Incidentally, the Kurnool-III Pooling Station is being developed by PGCIL under the RTM mode, and its augmentation has been planned under a separate TBCB scheme “Kurnool III PS RE Transmission Ltd” that is currently under bidding.
Bidder profile
If Megha Engineering clinches this project, it would be the first ISTS-TBCB for the Hyderabad-headquartered company in FY25. All the other four bidders have won at least one such scheme in FY25.
Megha Engineering currently has one ISTS-TBCB scheme “Khandukhal Rampura Transmission Ltd,” which is under execution and scheduled to commission by March 2025, albeit with a delay of around nine months. In April 2023, Megha was awarded an ISTS-TBCB scheme housed under “KPS1 Transmission Ltd.” However, this was eventually acquired by Adani Energy Solutions Ltd.
Upcoming awards
As estimated by T&D India, there are at least two ISTS-TBCB schemes (apart from Kurnool-IV) for which bidders have been prequalified for opening of initial price bids. These are:
- Ratle Kiru Power Transmission Ltd (PGCIL, Sterlite Power, IndiGrid and AESL)
- Banaskantha Transco Ltd (PGCIL and KCC Buildcon)
Another scheme “Angul Sundargarh Transmission Ltd” for which PGCIL and Tata Power were prequalified has since come up for re-bidding.
Editor’s note: The power transmission development business of Sterlite Power now falls under the “Resonia” brand.
