Hitachi ABB Power Grids commissions ground-breaking UHVDC project in India
India, Raigarh: Hitachi ABB Power Grids in India has commissioned one of India’s longest UHVDC transmission links for PGCIL.
Image source: Hitachi ABB Power Grids
India, Raigarh: Hitachi ABB Power Grids in India has commissioned one of India’s longest UHVDC transmission links for PGCIL.
Listed on Indian stock exchanges as “ABB Power Products and Systems India Limited”, the company has successfully commissioned the ground-breaking ultra high-voltage direct current transmission link (UHVDC) for Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PCGIL). The +/-800 kV, 6,000 MW link has the capacity to meet the electricity needs of more than 80 million people and stretches 1,800 km to connect Raigarh in Central India to Pugalur in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Reliable power can now be transmitted in either direction depending on demand, with exceptionally low power losses and minimal environmental footprint. The link supports the Indian government’s mission and the UN Sustainable Development Goal No. 7 of increasing access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.
Hitachi ABB Power Grids worked with the customer, government agencies, local authorities and suppliers to deliver the link during the COVID-19 pandemic. Responsible project execution with health and safety at the forefront were key to this achievement.
“We strive to be a socially responsible business. Supporting society and protecting our people is at the centre of our operations,” said N. Venu, Managing Director and CEO, Hitachi ABB Power Grids in India. “With the commissioning of this ground-breaking UHVDC link, we have kept our promise to enable more clean and reliable power for millions of people, helping to build a future where electricity will be the backbone of the entire energy system. During the entire project, the health and safety of our customers, employees and partners remained our top priority.”
The link strengthens grid resilience and stabilizes the power infrastructure by combining traditional and renewable power generation. It enables further development and integration of sustainable energy, supporting the government’s goal of reaching 450 GW of renewable energy by 2030.
Using HVDC helps to conserve the environment by only occupying about one-third of the land compared to a traditional AC link. In this case, that amounts to a saving of approximately 130 km2 – equal to a quarter of the area of Mumbai.
Source: Hitachi ABB Power Grids