In its most recent meeting, the National Committee on Transmission (NCT) has proposed to implement the “Bikaner-V” scheme aimed at providing ISTS connectivity to RE projects in the Bikaner region in Rajasthan.
The scheme under discussion is termed as “Transmission system for evacuation of power as part of Rajasthan REZ Ph-IV (Part-6: 6 GW) (Bikaner Complex) (Bikaner V: 6 GW).” It mainly involves putting up the Bikaner-V pooling station, the fifth in the Bikaner region.
The scheme has been under discussion for quite some time. However, during the earlier NCT meetings of March and April 2026, it was proposed that instead of putting up the Bikaner-V PS, applications seeking connectivity at the said pooling station, would be allowed to use the non-solar margins available at Bikaner-I, II, III and IV pooling stations. This was under the condition that developers would equip their RE (solar) generation plants with BESS.
During a meeting with RE developers, held in April 2026 under the aegis of Central Electricity Authority (CEA), it was found that developers that were granted in-principle connectivity to Bikaner-V PS, were not keen to shift to other existing or under-construction pooling stations in Bikaner (Bikaner-I to Bikaner-IV).
Meanwhile, the Union ministry for new & renewable energy (MNRE) also felt that if infrastructure designed on the basis of in-principle connectivity to Bikaner-V PS were to be reversed, developers would face loss of investment.
The latest NCT meeting has therefore decided to implement the Bikaner-V project, which is estimated to cost over Rs.31,000 crore, and has an implementation period of 36 months.
The overall scheme has been divided into five coterminous components – Parts A to E – with the first four to be implemented under the tariff-based competitive bidding (TBCB) route. Part E will be assigned to Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) under the regulated tariff mechanism (RTM) framework. REC Power Development & Consultancy Ltd (RECPDCL) has been proposed to handle the bid process coordinator (BPC) mandate for the TBCB components.
While the Bikaner-V PS will be geographically located in Bikaner, Rajasthan, the scheme, in its entirety, will spread across Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab.
Some of the major substations collectively envisaged under the Bikaner-V scheme are:
Part A
- 765/400kV, 6×1500 MVA and 400/220kV, 10×500 MVA Bikaner-V PS, Bikaner, Rajasthan
- 765/400kV, 2×1500 MVA Pallu AIS, Pallu, Hanumangarh, Rajasthan
Part B
- 765/400kV, 3×1500 MVA Panipat GIS substation, Panipat, Haryana
- 400/220kV, 4×500 MVA Mohali GIS substation, Mohali, Punjab
Part C
- 765kV Bulandshahr AIS, Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh [765kV line bays]
- 765/400kV, 2×1500 MVA Lucknow-II AIS, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
Part D
- 765/400kV, 2×1500 MVA Asana (Chandauli) AIS, Chandauli, Uttar Pradesh
These substations will be connected to other existing/upcoming substations through a massive network of 765kV and 400kV lines.
Part E has no substations envisaged but involves reconductoring of the 400kV Patiala-Mohali section and commensurate bay upgrade at the Patiala substation.
Objective
Total connectivity for 12 GW of RE and energy storage (6 GW in solar hours and 6 GW during non-solar hours) shall be granted at Bikaner-V pooling station. Initially, connectivity for 3 GW would be granted for solar hours and 3 GW for non-solar hours. Subsequently additional connectivity would be granted for 3 GW of RE for solar hours and 3 GW for non-solar hours. Connectivity during non-solar hours would, in effect, be granted to the energy storage system (ESS) associated with the RE generation plant.
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