Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd (MEIL) has been declared as the successful bidder for an interstate transmission system (ISTS) scheme in north India.
In a brief stock exchange filing, bid process coordinator PFC Consulting Ltd said that the project SPV “Khandukhal Rampura Transmission Ltd” has been transferred to MEIL, on October 7, 2022. PFCCL is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Power Finance Corporation Ltd (PFC).
The project SPV will be responsible for development of the 400kV Khandukhal (Srinagar, UT of J&K) – Rampura (Kashipur) double-circuit line. Broadly, the transmission project aims to evacuate electricity from upcoming hydropower projects in Uttarakhand.
Though the PFC release did not divulge any more details, it is reliably learnt that MEIL got the better of three other finalists in the final bidding round. MEIL quoted a levelized annual transmission charge of Rs.58.72 crore, in clinching the project that will be developed under the build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) mode. The quotes for the remaining three finalists (names unknown) ranged from Rs.59.02 crore to Rs.74.30 crore.
The important project elements are:
- 400kV double-circuit Khandukhal (Srinagar) – Rampura (Kashipur) line (Twin HTLS)
- 1x80MVAr switchable line reactor at Rampura (Kashipur) end on each circuit of the upcoming Khandukhal – Rampura line
- One 400kV line bay at Rampura (Kashipur) substation
- Upgrade of existing 400kV bays at Khandukhal
From “state” to “interstate”
The proposed 400kV double-circuit Khandukhal–Rampura line was originally planned as part of the Uttarakhand Integrated Transmission Project (UITP) for evacuation of the power from upcoming hydropower projects in Uttarakhand’s Alaknanda basin, namely Tapovan-Vishnugad (520 mw, NTPC) and Vishnugad-Pipalkoti (444 mw, THDC India).
This line was to be developed by state utility Power Transmission Corporation of Uttarakhand Ltd (PTCUL). However, PTCUL could not take up this work in time, and subsequently requested that this project be taken up as an ISTS scheme, under the Central government framework.
In January 2013, Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) declared this UITP scheme as an ISTS scheme. This Khandukhal–Rampura line was also agreed and approved in the 49th Northern Region Power Committee (NRPC) meeting held in December 2021. It was also approved in the 7th meeting of the National Committee on Transmission (NCT) held later in the same month.
In January 2022, the Union power ministry approved the implementation of the project through the tariff-based competitive bidding (TBCB) route, leading to bid process coordinator PFCCL starting the bidding process in around March 2022.
Also read: Turnkey Contract For Ratle Hydropower Project Formalized
PFCCL’s upcoming TBCB projects
PFCCL, it is reliably understood, is currently involved as bid process coordinator with the three other ISTS schemes, to be awarded under the TBCB route. These schemes, for which bidders are soon expected to be finalized, are:
- Transmission system for evacuation of power from Chhatarpur Solar Energy Zone (1,500 mw)
- Transmission system for evacuation of power from Renewable Energy Zone in Rajasthan (20GW) under Phase-III Part B1
- Transmission system for evacuation of power from Renewable Energy Zone in Rajasthan (20 GW) under Phase III–Part G
Featured photograph is a file picture of excavation works at the dam site of THDC India’s upcoming Vishnugad-Pipalkoti hydropower project in Uttarakhand. (Photo: THDC India)
