G R Infraprojects Ltd (GRIL) is set to win its third interstate transmission system (ISTS) scheme under the tariff-based competitive bidding (TBCB) route.
In a stock exchange filing, GRIL said that it has emerged L1 for an ISTS scheme officially termed as “Transmission scheme for integration of Tumkur‐II REZ in of Karnataka,” during the e-reverse auction (e-RA) conducted on August 6, 2024.
REC Power Development & Consultancy Ltd (RECPDCL) is the bid process coordinator for this ISTS-TBCB scheme.
The major project elements to be developed include:
- 400/220kV, 4×500 MVA Pooling Station near Tumkur, Karnataka [Tumkur-II PS]
- 400kV (Quad ACSR moose) double-circuit line (running length 100 km) from Tumkur-II PS to Tumkur (Pavagada) with two 400kV line bays at Tumkur (Pavagada)
- 2×125 MVAr, 420kV bus reactors with bays at Tumkur-II PS
Project details
According to information available with T&D India, this project will be housed under project SPV “Tumkur-II REZ Power Transmission Ltd” – incorporated on December 13, 2023, as a wholly-owned subsidiary of RECPDCL. This SPV will be transferred to GRIL – the successful bidder – in due course.
Expected to cost around Rs.793 crore, this project is scheduled for commissioning within 24 months from the date of formal transfer of project SPV.
The Tumkur-II REZ scheme is part of an overarching evacuation system that seeks to transmit 17 GW of renewable energy generation from Karnataka. The existing pooling station at Tumkur (owned by Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd) and denoted as “Tumkur (Pavagada)” above, has no further connectivity margins, necessitating the building of a new pooling station “Tumkur II PS,” under the subject scheme.
Bidders in race
It is reliably learnt that bidders that were qualified for opening of initial price bids, alongside GRIL, included PGCIL, Sterlite Power, Adani Energy Solutions Ltd and Techno Electric & Engineering Company Ltd. It is however not known, at this point, which of the four other bidders reached the e-reverse auction stage.
Third ISTS-TBCB win for GRIL
For G R Infraprojects Ltd, this is potentially the third ISTS project, clinched under the tariff-based competitive bidding route. GRIL made its debut in the ISTS-TBCB space by winning “Rajgarh Transmission Ltd” that was formally transferred to the company on May 30, 2022. Subsequently, in February 2024, GRIL landed its second ISTS-TBCB with the formal acquisition of “Pachora Power Transmission Ltd.”
The Rajgarh project was successfully commissioned in early April 2024, while construction work on the Pachora project has begun. In a recent exclusive interview with T&D India, Ashwin Agarwal, Business Unit Head – Power Transmission, G R Infraprojects Ltd, indicated that GRIL was well-positioned to take advantage of the burgeoning opportunities in India’s power transmission development sector. (Read full interview)
Featured photograph shows an element of GRIL’s Rajgarh power transmission project that was commissioned in April 2024.
