Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL) has commissioned the Kala Amb transmission project in Himachal Pradesh. PGCIL had won the project under the tariff-based competitive bidding route, quoting an annualized tariff of 59.43 crore.
The Kala Amb transmission project is significant from a technical perspective. It is believed to be the first BOOM (build, own, operate, maintain) power transmission project in India where gas-insulated substations have been equipped with fixed series compensation (FSC). The GIS contract was placed on Siemens in late 2014.
Kala Amb and its adjoining areas of Poanta and Giri are existing load centres in Himachal Pradesh. However, due to inadequate generation and transmission infrastructure, the area experiences power shortage.
To meet the present and future load requirement of the Kala Amb area, it was decided to establish a 400/200kV GIS substation by LILO (line in-line out) of the existing 400kV double-circuit Karcham Wangtoo-Abdullapur line. Further, due to hilly terrain and general scarcity of land, it was decided to go in for a GIS substation. Even the LILO was carried out on multi-circuit towers to reduce right-of-way requirements. The 40 per cent FSC (done at the Kala Amb end) was planned to improve the load-bearing ability of the 400kV Karcham Wangtoo-Abdullapur line.
Speaking to T&D India over phone, a senior official of Ghaziabad-based Kashyapi Infrastructure Pvt Ltd confirmed that civil works for the GIS substation were done by the company. The contract was placed by PGCIL in around December 2015, the official said.
The LILO component of both circuits of the 400kV double-circuit Karcham Wangtoo-Abdullapur transmission line was carried out by KEC International, via a Rs.225-crore contract placed in December 2015.
The special purpose vehicle for the project was incorporated in July 2013 as NRSS XXXI (A) Transmission Ltd. It was transferred to PGCIL in May 2014 and subsequently renamed to Power Grid Kala Amb Transmission Ltd. (NRSS stands for Northern Region Strengthening Scheme).
The Karcham Wangtoo hydropower project is the principal generation asset associated with the Kala Amb transmission scheme. The 1,000-mw Karcham Wangtoo, built by the Jaypee Group, is now owned by JSW Energy.
