T&D News
India successfully completes online testing of 765kV transformer
The Indian electrical equipment industry recently crossed a new milestone when the newly-commissioned National High Power Test Laboratory Pvt Ltd (NHPTL) successfully tested a 765kV power transformer at its Bina test centre in Madhya Pradesh.
A senior official of NHPTL confirmed that NHPTL has successfully commissioned its grid-based 765kV class state-of-the-art Short Circuit Testing Laboratory at Bina, Madhya Pradesh. The first commercial short circuit test on a 765kV class transformer was conducted on September 11, 2017. With respect to online testing, this is indeed the first instance of its kind in the world.
Power Grid commissions transmission scheme in Himachal
- Jul 22, 2017
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.
Otis strengthens position in AP with new Vijayawada office
- Jul 13, 2017
With a new office in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, Otis Elevator Company (India) Ltd is ready to meet the growing demand in the region. The new office strengthens the company’s existing service presence and will cater to the growing demand for vertical transport solution
s in the city and surrounding areas, enabling Otis to develop closer relationships with customers to better serve them, a release from Otis India said.
“We have had a strong presence in Vijayawada for a long while with many reputed customers. The growth that the city promises further prompted our desire to be closer to customers by establishing this new office,” said Sebi Joseph, President, Otis India. Otis already works closely with BVR mall and India American Hospital in Vijayawada, the release added.
Otis, the world’s leading manufacturer and maintainer of elevators, escalators and moving walkways, is a unit of United Technologies Corp. Otis India has the largest elevator and escalator service network in-country with approximately 80 centers, covering approximately 300 cities and towns. It also recently expanded its manufacturing facility at Bengaluru in Karnataka.
World’s largest LED street lighting project in Hyderabad
- Jul 5, 2017
Power ministry PSU Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) has signed an agreement with Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to retrofit a staggering 4.5 lakh street lights with LED lamps, under the Street Lighting National Project (SLNP). This, according to a release by EESL, is the biggest LED street lighting project in the world. EESL has retrofitted 2.7 lakh street lights for South Delhi Municipal Corporation that is currently the biggest project under the SLNP.
The cost of the GHMC street lighting project is around Rs.270 crore that will be fully borne by EESL. The municipal corporation will pay back the cost through deemed savings, over a period of seven years. GHMC is expected to save 200 million kwh of electricity per year through the switch to LED street lighting.
Currently, GHMC has 3.5 lakh street lighting poles, a number that will be enhanced to 4.5 lakh ensuring 33 lighting poles per km. GHMC presently incurs an annual expenditure of Rs.210 crore on operating and maintaining the current conventional lighting system. EESL has assured the Telangana civic body that it would save 50 per cent on its current costs, through the LED switchover. Over the seven-year period, GHMC is expected to save over Rs.1,200 crore.
The Street Lighting National Programme, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 5, 2015, aims at converting 1.34 crore conventional street lights with energy-efficient LED lights. The current achievement stands at around 26 lakh.
DGEN transmission scheme referred to CERC
- Jun 29, 2017
Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has referred the matter relating to the DGEN transmission scheme to Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC).
DGEN Transmission Company Ltd, the selected developer that won the DGEN transmission scheme in Gujarat under the tariff-based competitive bidding route, had sought to exit the project. In a meeting with Central Electricity Authority in mid-April this year, the developer sought exit from the project citing financial difficulties of its parent organization.
In a communicated dated June 14, 2017, Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has now referred the matter to Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC).
DGEN Transmission Company is a subsidiary of Spanish company S.A. and had won the rights to develop the said transmission scheme in March 2015. Meanwhile, an email query sent by T&D India to Instalaciones Abensa, seeking information on the current status of the project, remained unanswered.
Instalaciones Abensa is the only foreign company to have emerged successful in interregional transmission schemes in the TBCB regime. It is pertinent to note that Chinese companies have also submitted bids for such projects but none of them have emerged successful so far.
The transmission scheme, costing Rs.275 crore, envisages a 400kV double-circuit line from the 1,200-mw DGEN gas-based power plant of Torrent Power at Dahej up to Vadodara, and another 220kV double circuit line from Navsari (the site of a power substation of Power Grid Corporation of India) to Bhesatan. The scheme forms part of the Western Region System Strengthening Scheme.
The preliminary work on the project took off swiftly—detailed survey was completed, engineering design was completed and manufacturing of transmission towers also started. The detailed survey was completed and the EPC contract was also awarded. Work slowed down sometime last year prompting CEA to serve a notice to the developer in August 2016, to which the developer did not respond. The developer’s submission to exit from the project surfaced in a meeting with CEA in April this year. The project is to commission by May 2018, as per the original schedule.
Despite the slow progress on this transmission scheme, evacuation is already taking place from the DGEN power plant. Torrent Power, through its subsidiary Torrent Energy Ltd, has already constructed a 400kV double-circuit line from the DGEN power plant to the Navsari substation of PGCIL.
Telangana builds its longest 400kV line
- Jun 2, 2017
Transmission Corporation of Telangana Ltd (TSTransco) has commissioned its longest 400kV line. The new double-circuit line with quad moose conductor runs 462 ckm from the 400kV Suryapet substation in Suryapet district to the 400kV Shankarpally substation in Rangareddy district. It has two components Suryapet- Nandiwanaparthi (240 ckm) and Nandiwanaparthi-Shankarpally (222 ckm). Read more
PGCIL sees limited impact on proposed China ban
- Jun 1, 2017
Power Grid Corporation of India would not be impacted much by the probable restriction of Chinese equipment in the Indian power transmission sector. On the sidelines of a recent company press meet in Mumbai, I.S. Jha, Chairman & Managing Director, PGCIL, when asked about the possible effects of the government’s attempt to curtail Chinese equipment in the Indian power transmission sector, said, “I don’t think this is going to impact us much.” Read more
Ground broken for Raigarh-Pugalur UHVDC link
- May 23, 2017
On May 21, 2017, the ground breaking ceremony for the Raigarh-Pugalur 800kV ultra high voltage direct current (UHVDC) transmission line was conducted. This marked the beginning of work on India’s first green energy corridor project with a UHVDC link running 1,800-plus km to bring power to 80 million people. This link is also a key element of integrating renewable energy with the main grid. It will integrate thermal and wind energy for transmission of power to high consumption centres located thousands of kilometers away, supporting electricity demands in the south, when wind strength is low, and transmitting clean energy to the north, when there is excess wind power. This project, owned by Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd is being executed by ABB in partnership with Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. This project is also a great example of the Make in India initiative where design, engineering, manufacturing of major components and project execution is done locally, a release from ABB said.