Financial bids for the smart grid project at Ranchi in Jharkhand are currently under evaluation, a government report said. The project falls under the National Smart Grid Mission (NSGM).
The financial bids are being evaluated for selecting the implementing agency for the Ranchi smart grid project. Bids closed for submission on August 26, 2021.
The project had undergone re-bidding because state discom and nodal agency Jharkhand Bijli Vitaran Nigam Ltd (JBVNL) submitted a revised detailed project report. This required fresh clearance from the Union power ministry.
The Rs.228.69-crore project, including Central assistance of Rs.68.61 crore, aims to cover 3.6 lakh consumers in Ranchi city. The smart-grid functionalities to be offered include advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and distribution transformer monitoring unit (DTMU).
Rajasthan
In a related development, the Rajasthan smart grid project, also part of NSGM, has seen the deployment of 40,232 smart meters during 2021, up to August 31, 2021.
As of August 31, 2021, the total number of smart meters stood at 43,732. The project aims at reaching smart meters to 1.5 lakh consumers spread over six urban towns of state power discoms Jaipur Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Ltd (JVVNL).
Also read: Smart Meter Installation Begins For Rajasthan Smart Grid Project
The towns to be covered are Baran, Bharatpur, Bundi, Dholpur, Jhalawar and Karauli. The project has an approved cost of Rs.87.43 crore, out of which Rs.26.23 crore represents Central government support.
Chandigarh
Meanwhile, the total number of smart meters installed as of August 31, 2021, in the Chandigarh (Sub-Division 5) NSGM project stood at 11,171. During 2021, a total of 5,331 smart meters were installed. The total consumers to be covered stands at 29,433, implying that the project is around 40 per cent complete.
There is another NSGM project in Chandigarh that will cover the entire city except Sub-Division 5. This project has targeted to install 1.84 lakh smart meters. This project is yet to see physical activity as the revised project cost of Rs.119.58 crore is currently under concurrence by the Union power ministry.
Summary
There are currently four smart grid projects under the National Smart Grid Mission (NSGM) for which 7.23 lakh smart meters have been sanctioned. All the four projects – Chandigarh (SD-5), Chandigarh (entire city except SD-5), Ranchi and Rajasthan (six towns) — have been discussed in this story. There was also supposed to be a smart grid project under NSGM in Rourkela city in Odisha. This project has since been scrapped.
