The National Committee on Transmission (NCT) has referred five major interstate transmission system (ISTS) schemes to the Union power ministry for final approval.
In its meeting on March 5, 2023, NCT has referred five ISTS schemes – mainly to do with renewable energy evacuation – to the Union power ministry for final clearance. All these schemes will deploy the tariff-based competitive bidding (TBCB) mechanism for selection of developer.
Two schemes are aimed at renewable energy (RE) evacuation from Rajasthan, while an equal number will deal with RE transmission from Karnataka. One scheme is meant for power evacuation from the upcoming Unit 3 and Unit 4 (each of 1,000 mw) of Nuclear Power Corporation of India’s Kudankulam atomic power plant in Tamil Nadu.
The broad details of the five schemes are as follows:
Scheme: Transmission system for evacuation of power from Rajasthan REZ Ph-IV (Part 3: 6 GW) (Bikaner Complex): Part A
Location: Rajasthan
Cost (Rs. crore): 5,968.50
Implementation period: 24 months
BPC: RECPDCL
Scheme: Transmission system for evacuation of power from Rajasthan REZ Ph-IV (Part 3: 6 GW) (Bikaner Complex): Part B
Location: Rajasthan
Cost (Rs. crore): 5,357.36
Implementation period: 24 months
BPC: RECPDCL
Scheme: Transmission scheme for integration of Davanagere/Chitradurga and Bellary REZ in Karnataka
Location: Karnataka
Cost (Rs. crore): 3,453.00
Implementation period: 24-30 months
BPC: PFCCL
Scheme: Transmission scheme for integration of Bijapur REZ in Karnataka
Location: Karnataka
Cost (Rs. crore): 1,113.00
Implementation period: 24 months
BPC: PFCCL
Scheme: Transmission system under ISTS for evacuation of power from Kudankulam Unit-3 & 4 (2×1,000 mw)
Location: Tamil Nadu
Cost (Rs. crore): 548.00
Implementation period: 30 months (targeted by December 2026)
BPC: PFCCL
The aggregate outlay of these five schemes, as estimated by NCT, is around Rs.16,440 crore.
As each of these schemes costs over Rs.500 crore, NCT has referred them to the Union power ministry for final clearance. In the same meeting, NCT gave final approval to two ISTS-TBCB schemes, each costing between Rs.100 crore to Rs.500 crore. This has already been reported by T&D India in a separate story.
It may be mentioned that ISTS schemes costing less than Rs.100 crore can be approved by Central Transmission Utility of India Ltd (CTUIL). NCT is empowered to clear schemes costing between Rs.100 crore and Rs.500 crore. All ISTS schemes costing above Rs.500 crore are recommended by NCT to the power ministry for final clearance. The “clearance” referred here also entails finalization of the mode of implementation – whether TBCB or RTM.
ISTS-TBCB schemes up for award
According to an analysis by T&D India, around 20 ISTS-TBCB schemes are currently at various stages of the bidding process. Going by the current timelines, bid process coordinators RECPDCL and PFCCL are expected to finalize the developers of these schemes over the next 6-8 weeks.
Note: BPC = Bid Process Coordinator; RECPDCL = REC Power Development & Consultancy Ltd; PFCCL = PFC Consulting Ltd.
Also read: NCT Clears Two ISTS Schemes Under TBCB Route
Featured photograph is for representation only.
