Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC), in a very recent order, has granted transmission licence to “Bikaner A Power Transmission Ltd,” a wholly-owned subsidiary of Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL).
The said SPV is developing an interstate transmission system (ISTS) scheme termed as “Transmission system for evacuation of power from Rajasthan REZ Ph-IV (Part-3: 6 GW) [Bikaner Complex]: Part A.”
PGCIL won this scheme under the tariff-based competitive bidding (TBCB) framework with a winning bid (annual transmission tariff) of Rs.5879.06 million, getting the better of other contenders like Resonia, Adani Energy Solutions Ltd and Tata Power.
PGCIL acquired “Bikaner A Power Transmission Ltd” from bid process coordinator REC Power Development & Consultancy Ltd (RECPDCL) on November 11, 2024, and has since renamed the project SPV to “Powergrid Bikaner IV Transmission Ltd.”
This ISTS-TBCB scheme involves putting up a 6×1500 MVA, 765/400kV and 6×500 MVA, 400/220kV AIS pooling station to be known as “Bikaner IV Pooling Station” in Rajasthan. This will have onward connectivity with other substations like Siwani (PGCIL-TBCB), Fatehbad (PGCIL) and Patran (IndiGrid).
Estimated to cost Rs.5,968 crore, this project will see the development of 991 ckm of transmission lines across Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, and 12,000 MVA of transformation capacity (from the Bikaner-IV PS).
The project is scheduled to commission by November 11, 2025, which is 24 months from the date of SPV transfer.
Part B
Incidentally, the overall scheme “Transmission system for evacuation of power from Rajasthan REZ Ph-IV (Part-3: 6 GW) [Bikaner Complex]” has a complementary “Part B” that has also been awarded to PGCIL under the TBCB framework.
Part B is housed under project SPV “Bikaner B Power Transmission Ltd” that is now renamed to “Powergrid Siwani Transmission Ltd.” Incidentally, the Siwani substation discussed above in the context of “Part A” will be coming up through this ISTS-TBCB scheme.
With an estimated outlay of Rs.5,357 crore, Part B involves development of 9,000 MVA of substation capacity (from the 765/400kV, 6×1,500 MVA Siwani substation) and 934 ckm of transmission lines.
Part A and Part B are expected to commission concurrently as the transmission elements are interrelated.
CERC granted transmission licence to Powergrid Siwani Transmission Ltd in March 2025.
Featured photograph is for representation only
