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.