Bid process coordinator REC Power Development & Consultancy Ltd (RECPDCL) has annulled the tendering process and issued fresh requests for qualifications for a mega ISTS-TBCB scheme in Rajasthan, involving HVDC infrastructure.
Significantly, PGCIL had emerged L1 for this scheme that envisages extensive deployment of HVDC-based power transmission infrastructure, and with a total project outlay estimated at Rs.12,700 crore.
RECPDCL has now issued fresh tender documents with the last date for submitting response to RfPs set at September 17, 2024. This brings to naught the previous tendering process that was initiated in July 2023 and which saw multiple extensions in submission dates.
The reasons for this re-tendering were not available till the time of filing this story.
As reported by T&D India on August 1, 2024, PGCIL had emerged L1 for this mega project, getting the better of two other contenders — Adani Energy Solutions Ltd (AESL) and Sterlite Power.
Officially termed as “Transmission system for evacuation of power from REZ in Rajasthan (20 GW) under Phase-III Part I,” this scheme is housed under project SPV “Rajasthan Part I Power Transmission Ltd” that would, in normal course, be transferred to PGCIL were it not for the re-tendering.
Key project elements of this scheme include:
- 6,000 MW, ±800kV Bhadla HVDC terminal station (4×1,500 MW) near Bhadla-III substation, Rajasthan
- 6,000 MW, ±800kV Fatehpur HVDC terminal station (4×1,500 MW) near Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh
- ±800kV HVDC Hexa-Lapwing line with Dedicated Metallic Return (DMR) between Bhadla (HVDC) and Fatehpur (HVDC) terminal stations [Running length: 950 km)
The HVDC infrastructure envisaged in this scheme would be based on LCC (line commutated converter) technology. The envisaged completion timeframe has been set at 48 months for Bipole-I and 54 months (six months after Bipole-I) for Bipole-II.
L1 in eight schemes
Excluding the Rajasthan HVDC project under discussion, PGCIL is still L1 in eight ISTS-TBCB schemes but the formal SPV transfer is yet pending. In FY25 so far (up to August 19, 2024), according to T&D India estimates, PGCIL has formally won one ISTS-TBCB scheme housed under “Khavda IV-E2 Power Transmission Ltd” in that it has acquired the project SPV.
Also read: Tendering for Ladakh HVDC project targeted by January 2025
Featured photograph (source: Hitachi Energy) showing an HVDC transformer is for representation only.
