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BHEL wins order for World’s first + 800 kV 6,000 MW

New Delhi, 23 March, 2011

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has won a breakthrough order from Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. for + 800 kV 6,000 MW HVDC Multi-Terminal System Package associated with the NE/ER-N/WR Interconnector-1 project, in consortium with ABB, Sweden.

This will be world’s first + 800 kV, 6000 MW Ultra High Voltage Multi-terminal DC transmission link. The link comprises three converter terminals and a power transmission system with a built in capacity of up to 8,000 MW which is the largest HVDC transmission system ever built. The use of Ultra High Voltage (+ 800 kV) minimises transmission losses. In financial terms, this is the largest order finalized in T&D sector any where in the world.

The ± 800 kV North-East Agra UHVDC link will have a capacity to transmit up to 6,000 MW of clean hydroelectric power from the North-East Region of the country to Agra across a distance of 1,728 kilometers. This transmission super highway will to a large extent ease the ever increasing power shortages in northern India.

The order value for BHEL is Rs 1590 Crores. This is the largest order for BHEL in T&D sector. BHEL had taken certain strategic steps a few years back to gear itself up to meet the challenges being thrown open in the Indian power sector and has already enhanced its annual transformer manufacturing capacity to 45,000 MVA to remain the biggest manufacturer of transformers in the country. The capacity addition undertaken by BHEL will also address requirement of converter transformers for this project.

BHEL together with its partner ABB, Sweden, will execute the project involving system engineering, design, supply and installation of three HVDC converter stations. The first stage of the system is scheduled to be operational in 2014 and the second stage in 2015.

BHEL together with ABB had introduced HVDC technology in the country with + 500 kV HVDC transmission system between Rihand and Dadri in 1991. Besides the ± 800 kV North-East Agra UHVDC link, BHEL has been instrumental in 3 out of 4 HVDC long distance projects undertaken by state/ central utilities so far.

These three projects are ± 500 kV, 1,500 MW Rihand - Dadri HVDC Project of NTPC, ± 500 kV, 1500 MW Chandrapur – Padghe HVDC Project of MSEB and ± 500 kV, 2,500 MW Ballia – Bhiwadi Project of PGCIL. BHEL has in past also developed and executed National HVDC Project on its own strength between Barsoor (Chhattisgarh) and Lower Sileru (Andhra Pradesh) in 1989 as an inter-state and inter- regional tie.  

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