ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has booked an order worth more than USD 900 million from Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd, to deliver an ultrahigh voltage direct current transmission system.
The link will supply hydropower from mountainous northeast India to the populous region of Agra in central India, 1,700 kilometers away.
The UHVDC link, operating at 800 KV will have a converter capacity of 8,000MW, the highest ever built. When operating at full capacity, it will have the means to supply electricity to 90 million people based on current figures for average national consumption.
ABB will execute the North-East Agra transmission project together with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited that will deliver the remainder of the project worth more than USD 1.1 billion in total.
The project will be executed on a turnkey basis including design, system engineering, supply, installation and commissioning and is scheduled to go in operation in 2015.
The system will be the world’s first multi terminal ultrahigh voltage link and will have three converter stations. Two “sending” stations will convert power from AC to DC for transmission over a single power line and deliver electricity to a third, “receiving” station in Agra where it will be converted back into AC for distribution to end users.
The power link will pass through the so called "chicken neck area"; a very narrow patch of land (22 km wide x 18 km long) in the state of West Bengal, which borders Nepal and Bangladesh. Using ultrahigh voltage transmission, helps to minimize losses and improve efficiency. The deployment of a multi terminal solution as compared to running separate power links, brings considerable cost reductions.
Mr Peter Leupp head of ABB’s Power Systems division said “HVDC technology is ideally suited for transmission of power, with minimum losses, over long distances and where space is limited. This project will set many new global benchmarks and emphasizes ABB’s leadership in HVDC. We are pleased to continue supporting India in the development of its power infrastructure.”
