Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) has been allotted four projects under the regulated tariff mechanism (RTM) framework, covering the Eastern and Southern regional grids.
These projects, with an aggregate cost of nearly 80 crore, were recently assigned to PGCIL by Central Transmission Utility of India Ltd (CTUIL).
While one project has been assigned to a TBCB subsidiary of PGCIL, the remaining three will be developed by PGCIL.
The largest of the four projects is implementation of two 220kV bus sectionalizers at 220kV level of the 400/220kV Gadag-II pooling station (PS) in Karnataka. Costing Rs.30.59 crore and with an implementation timeframe of 18 months, the project has been assigned to Koppal II Gadag II Transmission Ltd, a wholly-owned TBCB subsidiary of PGCIL.
The said subsidiary, since renamed to “Powergrid Koppal Gadag Transmission Ltd,” is building the 400/220kV Gadag-II PS, among several other elements, as part of an ISTS-TBCB project. The overall project, envisaging over 600 ckm of lines and 9,000 MVA of transformation capacity, is under construction. Full completion is currently expected by June 2026, albeit with a delay of around six months.
The newly-assigned RTM project is expected to commission by August 17, 2027.
The remaining three projects, all allotted to PGCIL, are:
- Implementation of one 230kV line bay at Tuticorin-II GIS for providing connectivity to Indianoil NTPC Green Energy Pvt Ltd (Tamil Nadu. Rs.8.27 crore, 24 months)
- Installation of a new 420kV, 125 MVAr bus reactor at Jeypore substation [also known as “Eastern Region Expansion Scheme – 49] (West Bengal, Rs.29.53 crore, 24 months)
- Implementation of two 220kV line bays at 400/220kV Maithon substation [also known as Eastern Region Bay Scheme – III] (Jharkhand, Rs.11.45 core, completion by December 31, 2018)
Project #3 is for termination of the 220kV double-circuit HTLS line from Dendua to Maithon substation. This line is being implemented by West Bengal State Electricity Transmission Company Ltd (WBSETCL). The Dendua substation is owned by WBSETCL while the Maithon substation is under PGCIL’s ownership.
Clearance of ISTS schemes
It may be mentioned that CTUIL is empowered to approve interstate projects with an individual cost of up to Rs.100 crore, autonomously. Projects costing between Rs.100 crore and Rs.500 crore are approved by National Committee on Transmission (NCT). Those costing above Rs.500 crore are cleared by NCT but with approval from the Union power ministry. The approval accorded by CTUIL and NCT also includes the mode of implementation – whether TBCB or RTM. In normal course, projects costing less than Rs.100 crore are typically of the augmentation type, and are implemented under the RTM framework by transmission service providers owning the underlying asset.
Also read: PGCIL gets transmission licence for interregional-TBCB scheme
Featured photograph (source: GRIL) is for representation only