An ISTS scheme dealing with evacuation infrastructure for two upcoming hydropower projects in Himachal Pradesh might come up for re-bidding with some changes in the scope of work.
The bidding process for this ISTS-TBCB scheme was annulled even after three bidders – Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL), Adani Energy Solutions Ltd (AESL) and Resonia (formerly Sterlite Power) – were shortlisted for opening of initial price bids.
In fact, according to information available with T&D India, PGCIL had emerged L1 bidder before the bidding process was rescinded.
Housed under “Shongtong Power Transmission Ltd,” a wholly-owned subsidiary of bid process coordinator REC Power Development & Consultancy Ltd (RECPDCL), this ISTS scheme is expected to cost Rs.2,637 crore and has an implementation period of 30 months.
The scheme aims at creating evacuation infrastructure for two upcoming hydropower projects of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd (HPPCL) – Tidong (150 MW) and Shongtong Karcham (450 MW) – both of which are expected to commission by July 2026.
Annulment of bidding process
The bidding process was initiated in June 2023 but saw multiple extensions in bid submission dates. In around September 2024, the three aforementioned bidders were shortlisted for initial price bid submission but the bidding process was subsequently annulled.
While no official reasons for the annulment are available, it is learnt that the bidding process was scrapped as the transmission scheme was not seen materializing by the stipulated date of July 2026, especially with respect to evacuation from the Shongtong Karcham HEP. The scheme has an implementation period of 30 months, which means that it should have been awarded by January 2024, so as to commission as per schedule.
State utility steps in
It is now learnt that state utility Himachal Pradesh Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (HPPTCL) has proposed an interim arrangement for evacuation of power from the Karcham Shongtong hydropower plant that is expected to commission by its due date of July 2026.
The arrangement would involve creating a LILO of one circuit of the existing 400kV double-circuit Baspa-II — Karcham Wangtoo line, at the switchyard of Shongtong HEP. This LILO would be of around 6 km. This LILO portion would be constructed on “quad” configuration under ISTS and the same would become part of the final transmission scheme.
Further, of the 6 km of LILO, around 4 km is the common portion of the original scheme, and would be used as part of the original scheme. It has now been decided that HPPTCL will construct the 6-km LILO and subsequently recover the cost of the 4-km common portion from the successful bidder of the ISTS-TBCB scheme “Shongtong Transmission Ltd.”
Featured photograph (source: Statkraft) is for representation only
