A special study by T&D India, based on official statistics, suggests that during the first half (April to September) of FY23, four new TBCB-based interstate transmission projects were awarded while one was completed.
Awarded
The study indicates that out of the four projects awarded, two were clinched by Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL), while one each went to ReNew Transmission Ventures Pvt Ltd and GR Infraprojects.
The two projects of PGCIL are housed under the project SPVs – Khetri Narela Transmission Ltd and Neemuch Transmission Ltd. Both these projects involve transmission systems for evacuation of renewable energy. While Khetri-Narela is associated with evacuation from the Rajasthan Solar Energy Zone, the Neemuch project aims to develop transmission schemes for power evacuation from the 1,000-mw Neemuch Solar Park in Madhya Pradesh.
The project won by ReNew Transmission, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ReNew Power, has to do with evacuation systems associated with the 1,000-mw Gadag Solar Energy Zone in Karnataka. This project, for which the project SPV is Gadag Transmission Ltd, is the second ISTS TBCB project for ReNew Power. The company’s first project “Koppal Narendra Transmission Ltd” entails setting up of evacuation infrastructure for upcoming wind energy parks at Koppal in Karnataka.
GR Infraprojects made its debut in the ISTS landscape by clinching a transmission scheme for power evacuation from the 2,500-mw Rajgarh solar energy zone in Madhya Pradesh. This project is housed under project SPV “Rajgarh Transmission Ltd” and is currently in its early implementation stage.
Completed
The sole project completed was by PGCIL developed by project SPV “Powergrid Medinipur-Jeerat Transmission Ltd.” This scheme involved setting up of 765kV transmission lines and substations for evacuation of power from upcoming power generation projects in eastern India – mainly Jharkhand, Bihar and Odisha. This transmission system, apart from providing strong connectivity between eastern and western India, is also expected to feed consumption centres in West Bengal. This is in view of no major power generation projects expected in West Bengal. A 765kV double-circuit line connecting Ranchi, Medinipur and Jeerat is an important element of this project.
The various project elements were commissioned progressively from February 2021 leading to the final project commissioning in August 2022.
Also read: PGCIL Achieves Record Substation Capacity Addition In September 2021
Ownership change
There was also an interesting “ownership change” case in the ISTS TBCB landscape during the first half of FY23. Resurgent Power Ventures Pte Ltd, co-promoted by the Tata Power Group, completed the acquisition of a stressed asset “NRSS XXXVI Transmission Ltd”. This transmission scheme, which was fraught with financial difficulties, was earlier owned by Essel Infraprojects Ltd. The scope of the transmission scheme is “system strengthening in northern region (NRSS XXXVI) along with LILO of 400kV double-circuit Sikar-Neemrana transmission at Babai.” NRSS XXXVI has three elements consisting of a total length of 153 km transmission line spread across the states of Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Haryana.
The project faced several implementation difficulties primarily to do with clearances from the forest department of Uttarakhand. The original developer Essel Infraprojects Ltd also ran into financial difficulties, leading to very slow project progress. By original thinking the project was to schedule to complete by June 2019. PFS was subsequently roped in to find a new developer, leading to the eventual selection of Resurgent Power Ventures Pte Ltd.
Cumulative status
Of the 25 projects under construction, PGCIL had the maximum number—at eight— closely followed by Adani Transmission with seven and Sterlite Power with five. The remaining five are distributed amongst several developers.
Featured photograph (source: Sterlite Power) is for representation only
