Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) has approved capital expenditure for refurbishing the Chandrapur back-to-back HVDC station in Maharashtra.
In a brief stock exchange filing, PGCIL said that the company’s board of directors, in its meeting held on December 17, 2025, accorded investment approval for “Refurbishment of Bhadrawati (Chandrapur) HVDC (2×500 MW) back-to-back system” with an estimated cost of Rs.1,226.93 crore.
The investment will be made under “Additional Capital Expenditure 2024-29 Tariff Block” and the project is scheduled to commission in 36 months from the date of award.
Mandate placed
Meanwhile, in an independent development, GE Vernova T&D India Ltd, in a stock exchange communication dated December 17, 2025, announced the winning of a letter of award from Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) for refurbishment of 2×500-MW HVDC Chandrapur back-to-back link between Northern and Southern part of India. The scope of project includes upgrade of HVDC thyristor valves and HVDC controls & protection. The order completion period is spread over multiple years, the stock exchange communication said.
Sasaram HVDC station
PGCIL is also planning to upgrade its Sasaram back-to-back HVDC station at an estimated project cost of Rs.3,440 crore. This upgrade will be be implemented under the regulated tariff mechanism (RTM) framework. Commissioned in 2002, the Sasaram back-to-back HVDC station is approaching the end of its useful life span, warranting the upgrade. (Read tndindia.com story dated November 11, 2025)
Back-to-back HVDC station
A back-to-back HVDC station is one where both the HVDC converters are located in the same building and the length of the DC line is kept to the minimum. India’s first back-to-back HVDC station was commissioned at Vindhyachal in Madhya Pradesh, in 1989. Following this, other such HVDC stations were put up at Chandrapur in Maharashtra (1997), Sasaram in Bihar (2002) and Guzuwaka in Andhra Pradesh (2005).
Featured photograph (source: GE Vernova T&D India Ltd) is for representation only