PGCIL seeks USD 500 Mn loan from World Bank to finance transmission projects for evacuation of Solar Power

 

Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL) has sought $500 million loan assistance from the World Bank for financing projects.

Power Grid is engaged in building transmission projects across the country. It also provides consultancy services in the power sector.

According to PGCIL, discussions are undergoing with the Ministry of Power (MoP) and Ministry of Finance (MoF) and the World Bank regarding funding assistance of transmission systems for evacuation of power from the solar parks.

For funding of its other transmission projects, Power Grid has submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Power for recommending it for consideration of Finance Ministry for sovereign loan assistance of $500 million from the World Bank.

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Power Grid to invest Rs 472 cr in two projects…

 

Power Grid Corporation of India will invest more than Rs 472 crore in two projects.

The investment plans were approved by the transmission utility's board of directors at their meeting held on January 13, PGCIL said in a regulatory filing today.

The two projects are estimated to cost Rs 472.58 crore.

An investment of Rs 374.63 crore will be made in 'Phase-I of Unified Real Time Dynamic State Measurement (URTDSM) Project', which is expected to be completed in 27 months.

Besides, the state-owned company will invest Rs 97.95 crore in 'Transmission System associated with contingency plan for evacuation of power from IL&FS (2x800 MW)'. This project is expected to be commissioned within 18 months from the date of investment approval.

Shares of the company rose nearly 1% to Rs 98.30 in afternoon trade on the BSE.

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Power Grid Corporation of India - Consistency in capitalization remains the key…

 

Power Grid Corporation of India is the country's central transmission utility and carries ~50% of the nation's generated electricity. The company has embarked upon an aggressive expansion plan over the 12th Five Year Plan (FY13-17) to augment India's power transmission and distribution infrastructure.

Power Grid over the last five years has managed to beat its guidance and is geared up to achieve its target set for 12th Plan. It recently increased its capex plans during the 12th Plan to ~INR1,100bn, higher than its earlier guidance of INR 1,000bn. The company has identified 27 transmission projects worth INR 483bn to be implemented in the near-term. With a secured business model earning 15.5% post tax return, we expect earnings to grow at CAGR of 17% over FY12-17e.

Capex and capitalisation for the 12th Plan

The company has revised its 12th Plan capex target to INR1,100bn from INR 1,000 bn earlier, of which INR 200 bn has been spent in FY13. This is due to an additional INR 100 bn on account of an increase in bidding-based projects, GoI contracts, green energy corridors, intra-state projects, and transnational interconnections. Yearly capex has been revised to INR221.5bn/224.5bn/225bn/225.5bn in FY14e/15e/16e/17e, respectively, as against an earlier INR200bn each year. To fund the increased capex, the company has successfully raised INR54bn, which will be deployed over the next two years.

Regulated business model with assured returns

Power Grid continues to earn a regulated RoE of 15.5% and incentives of 1.5% due to higher availability and income from consultancy and other segments. A regulatory order by the Central Energy Regulatory Commission in Nov-13 disallowed income from short-term open access, which lowered regulated RoE to 17.5% from 19%, impacting profitability by INR2bn. Book RoE for the company will increase to 14% in FY16 from 13% in FY14 due to a flat yearly capex of INR200bn and higher capitalisation in the years to come.

No further dilution required to fund capex for next five years

Power Grid has successfully concluded the follow-on public offer of 787m equity shares of INR10 each, comprising 17% of the existing paid-up capital, which comprises of: (a) Fresh issue of 601.8m shares (13% of existing paid-up capital); (b) Disinvestment of 185.2m equity shares (4% of existing paid-up capital). Post issue, the company is well capitalised to fund its capex requirements over the next five years and will not require to raise further equity.

Grid strengthening to help improve power sector volumes

Due to the grid collapse in Jul-12, thrust on grid security and strengthening schemes have taken precedence. Of the capex planned, INR180bn is for grid strengthening and INR90bn for ultra mega power projects. This will help in providing long- and medium-term open access to the consumers.

Valuations

At the current market price of INR99 per share, the stock trades at a FY15e P/E of 9.6x and P/B of 1.3x. We reiterate our Buy recommendation with a target price of NR124/share, (target P/BV multiple of 1.7x FY15e).

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Kerala, Tamil Nadu unable to buy power from National Grid...

 

India's southern states are unable to buy power from the rest of the country although a new grid has been put in place since January 1.

Kerala and Tamil Nadu have not been able to buy power from the exchanges over the past one month, a senior official of Indian Exchange said, adding that prices have risen substantially in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka due to inadequate supply from the local plants.

"Although the national grid now connects the entire country, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have not been able to source any power because this new grid is wheeling only about 300-400 mw a day and power trading has not been allowed on the grid yet," the official said, requesting anonymity.

Kerala, Tamil Nadu unable to buy power from National Grid

While there is no generating station with excess power in these two states, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have been receiving some supply from the local plants, he said. However, this supply is not adequate.

As a result, power prices in these two states have risen sharply to 5 per unit from 3 per unit over the past one month, he added. At the same time, there are a number of thermal power stations with idle capacity in north and east India.These plants cannot be fired up as the new grid is not stable enough to supply excess power to the southern states from the rest of the country, officials said.

Until last month, the southern grid was a standalone power distribution system which could not draw adequate power from the rest of the country. Producers such as NTPC, on the other hand, were saddled with idle capacity because they could not route power from their plants due to lack of a transmission system linking southern India. Power prices have, therefore, remained high in the southern states, officials said, adding that the new grid is yet to change the scenario.

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CG to Pioneer Manufacture of Smart Grid Devices...

 

Avantha Group Company CG launched its state-of-the-art Smart Grid facility at the Global Village, in Bangalore today, for full-fledged manufacturing of Smart Grid devices. Besides manufacturing Smart Grid devices, the facility will support economic development, foster job creation and boost an understanding of Smart Grid solutions in the energy field.

The Smart Grid devices manufactured in this facility will offer numerical solutions to Indian Utilities and Industries in the Transmission and Distribution (T&D) segment and provide improvement in the electric grid to make it more efficient and reliable. CG has invested 80 million INR in this facility which can employ more than 100 people. The Smart Grid facility will manufacture Substation Automation products, Distribution Automation devices, Protection and Control systems, Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and Telecommunication Solutions. It will also offer Global Engineering Services such as Systems Integration, Installation, and Commissioning. The facility is fully equipped with modern equipment to ensure an annual production capacity of 10,000 units of Power Line Carrier Communication Terminals (PLCC) and Intelligent Electronic Devices (IED).

CG has the most comprehensive portfolio that provides specific solutions and products for each application, including systems that can evolve as the network evolves. CG’s solutions give timely and necessary information needed to implement automatic functions and allow maximum use of the grid at minimum cost. The real value-add of the Smart Grid concept over the conventional automation system is that Smart Grids are able to convert the data provided by installed devices  into actions and decisions that are taken in real time to operate the network. 

With more than 2 million CG Smart Meter complete solutions installed worldwide, CG is a well-established manufacturer in this field.  CG’s Smart Grid devices are running successfully in the world's first major Smart Grid deployment at the Iberdrola STAR Project, Bilbao, Spain, where over 2,27,000 Smart meters monitor the electricity services provided to the area’s 4,10,000 inhabitants. In the past year, CG has participated in no less than ten Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Pilot Projects in Europe, Asia, and America. 

CG is already participating with many of these Smart Grid devices and services, in India’s first Smart Grid Pilot project - the Puducherry Smart City project which requires approximately 87,000 Smart Meters and a Street Light Automation solution that will prove substantial savings to the Electricity Department of  the Government of Puducherry (PED). CG’s Utility Distribution franchise that operates in Jalgaon efficiently manages the  multiple data obtained from the intelligent devices installed at all voltage levels, enhancing the quality of service provided to the Utility’s end users and drastically reduces technical and non-technical losses.

CG’s cost effective Smart Grid solutions will help Utilities identify and eliminate power thefts and system losses caused by aging or faulty equipment.  For the Utility’s customers, CG’s Smart grid solutions will offer more control over their power consumption and energy costs and spread awareness of consumption patterns.

As a part of its transmission network expansion plan, Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL)  has proposed an investment outlay of 170000 million INR** for implementation of various projects during the current financial year. CG aims to participate in PGCIL’s Smart grid related energy improvement projects.
Commenting on the inauguration,  Avantha Group Company CG’s CEO & Managing Director Laurent Demortier said, “The opening of CG’s Smart Grid manufacturing facility in Bangalore is a result of intense planning with the Indian stakeholders: customers, regulators and employees. I thank all of them for what they have achieved so far. Expansion in Smart Grid markets is a key strategy of CG.  After America and Europe the Bangalore facility will spearhead Smart Grid operations in Asia.”

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Linking Ladakh with national grid: PGCIL to implement Rs 2076.56 crore project...

 

The government has finally decided to start implementing the 220-kv power transmission line that would link the arid Ladakh desert with the national grid. The PGCIL will implement the Rs 2076.56 crore project that will be jointly funded by the centre and the state government but will eventually become property of the J&K state. CCEA has approved the project.

Apart from having two small stretches of 8.30 kms length underground to avoid damages by massive snow fall on Zoji La range, the 352.30 kms Srinagar-Leh line with around 1400 towers will have four 66 kV interconnection systems at Drass, Kargil, Khaltse and Leh. The sub-stations would require laying 50.50 kms of 66 kV transmission network. The line will carry a voice and data line along with.

Surge in power requirement of the region and a deficit of 95 percent apart, the project is being implemented fast to ensure resistibility of supplies to the defence establishments as the area having borders with China and Pakistan has huge strategic importance.

The PGCIL that will implement the project within 42 months will charge only 12% of the project cost as its consultancy fee to help the government make project viable. Given the strategic nature of the region, the government ruled out hiring any foreign consultant. This will be the first project of its kind that PGCIL will implement in highly hostile terrain. PGCIL sources said they have already undertaken the survey of the entire line. Its route alignment was undertaken using Satellite Imageries through National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) Department of Space and for designing avalanche prone towers, help was sought from defence ministry's Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment ( SASE).

For laying towards in a particular stretch, the corporation will have to fly the men and material because there is no possibility of laying any road.

The line will pass through a very hostile terrain comprising very heavy snow zones from Gagangeer to Ghumri (around 60 km), high security areas close to Line of Control (LoC) between Drass and Kargil (about 60 km) and very low temperature and dry climate (cold desert) of Ladakh (about 220 km). The challenges involve working in extremely harsh climatic conditions, lesser working period available and transportation of heavy machinery and laying of 220 KV underground cabling at Z- More and Zozilla Pass. Transformers for four sub-stations may also have to be airlifted because of low capacity of road bridges.

The line that was initially announced as part of the Prime Minister's Reconstruction Plan (PMRP) in 2004 was deferred as the Ladakh region wanted the implementation of twin power project - Nimu-Bazgo and Chutak, on priority. The twin projects with cumulative capacity of 89 MWs are already completed and partly in operation. In absence of power evacuation system or the proper distribution network locally, the twin projects operate as captive stations being linked directly to the load.

The sparsely populated Ladakh constitutes almost 74% of J&K geography but comprises of Leh and Kargil districts only. Apart from a new corps of army that was raised after the Kargil war, the region is emerging tourist destination as well. Currently, the net energy requirement of 150 MWs is expected to reach 224 MWs in next five years. Most of the peak time energy is being managed through highly polluting DG sets that costs Rs 18 per unit and in certain cases upward of Rs 30.

Of the Rs 2076.56 crore investment, J&K is contributing only five percent. But the ownership of the line will eventually be transferred to the J&K government. While substantial Rs 1451.26 crore would go for purchasing equipment, the project has Rs 34.33 crore for compensating forests and private land and Rs 64.64 crore for raising required civil works. The project would require 40 acres for substations and another 78 acres for the transmission line. It includes 131.43 hectors of forest land. The project is expected to be ready by latter 2018.

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Jammu Powergrid restores 400 KV Kishenpur-Wagoora transmission linein Jammu...

 

Continuous rain and snowfall that threw normal life out of gear in the stretch of Jammu-Srinagar National Highway had its impact on 400 KV Kishenpur-Wagoora transmission line of Powergrid as well. The transmission line was damaged and power transmission in one of its Circuits (Circuit-I) was affected from yesterday early hours.

Keeping its commitment of minimum downtime in its transmission lines, the authorities in Powergrid Corporation of India Limited immediately swung and approached state government and Indian Air Force to help them in ferrying their manpower to the site. The team of experienced engineers headed by Arshad Khan Chief Manager (Batote), SM Dar Chief Manager (Wagoora) and Mohd Farooq,Manager(OS) organized their teams at Batote, Wagoora and Jammu end respectively so that they were dropped by helicopter at the desired location despite high velocity winds and hostile conditions.

The team without caring for their lives rectified the fault in extreme hostile conditions. The six member team of POWERGRID that was dropped at the nearest possible location in the gigantic mountainous peaks of Peerpanjal were Devinder Kumar, Rajesh Kumar, Kansara Singh, Narinder Kumar , Chankar Singh & Ashwani Kumar.

Officers from Air force particularly Group Captain Ghera and Wing Commander Batra played an important role in this operation by ferrying the Engineers of Powergrid despite hostile weather conditions prevailing in the area.

The line was charged today at 13:27 Hrs around 500 Mega watts of electricity was made available to the Valley.

The whole of the operation was being monitored at highest level in POWERGRID, with its General Manager(O&M), KR Suri keeping the close look at the developments and commanding the restoration work.

JP Singh, Executive Director Powergrid Northern Region-II has congratulated the team for their extraordinary efforts in restoring the transmission line and conveyed thanks on behalf of Powergrid to state administration and Air Force for their continued support.

This prompt, planned and dedicated act of Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd.,(POWERGRID) has once again established its professional expertise and attitude.

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India expected to sign an initial deal to export around 500 MW per day of power to Pakistan this month...

 

India is expected to sign an initial deal to export around 500 mega watts (MW) per day of power to Pakistan this month when the trade ministers of the two south Asian neighbours meet.

Sources said the initial wheeling of power would be around 500MW but could be increased.

There are indications that Pakistan will increase the import to 2,000-2,500MW to meet the power shortage impacting its economy.

The wheeling of power between the two nations is expected to energise trade ties, resulting in Islamabad lowering the number of items on the negative list — a step towards granting most favoured nation status (MFN) to India.

The grant of MFN status means the two countries can trade on equal terms, giving each other low tariffs and high import quotas. India granted Pakistan the MFN status in 1996.

India’s Central Electricity Authority and Power Grid Corporation of India will be the nodal technical agencies. Pakistan will have the National Transmission and Despatch Company and Chief Engineering Advisor as its nodal agencies.

Officials said there was a broad agreement that cross border trading would be done through HVDC (high voltage direct current) coupling, as is being done with Bangladesh, ensuring that both the grids operate independently.

As Lahore is near Punjab, it will be economical to transfer power through Amritsar, officials said.

The project will require 45 kilometres of 220 kV transmission lines on both sides of the border — 25 kilometres in India and 20 kilometres in the neighbouring country.

The tariff is likely to be around Rs 8 per unit, which is almost similar to the rates in Pakistan, sources said.

Pakistan faces a 37 per cent, or 5,000MW, energy shortage and is desperately looking for ways to bridge the huge shortfall. Power shortages, along with endemic violence, have resulted in its textile mills moving to Bangladesh.

At present, Islamabad imports 35MW from Iran, which it plans to increase to 100MW. It is also considering importing another 1,000MW from Tajikistan.

Power production in Pakistan is only about 10,000-16,000MW against an installed capacity of 20,800MW. The sector is plagued by old plants, poor maintenance and high debt.

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With national grid, South to have access to 1,500MW additional power...

 

Providing succour for the power starved South, the region is expected to have access to additional electricity flow of about 1,500 MW once the all India national power grid becomes fully operational.

In a major step, the Southern power grid was synchronised with the rest of the national grid on December 31, 2013, and it is expected to be fully operational in a few months.

A government official said that once the new grid is fully operational, it would be able to carry an additional of about 1,500 MW electricity to Southern region.

In the absence of grid connectivity, Southern region was unable to utilise excess power available in other regions.

South witnessed peak power deficit of 6.8 per cent in November last year, the highest among the regions, according to latest official data.

Peak power deficit refers to shortage of electricity when demand is at the maximum.

During November last, while Southern region's electricity demand touched 34,118 MW, the availability was only around 31,786 MW.

Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Lakshwadeep make up the Southern region, as per power sector's planning body Central Electricity Authority (CEA).

The country's power system is operating through five regional grids. Till December 31, the Northern, Eastern, Western and North-eastern regions' grids were connected synchronously while Southern grid was connected through HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current) links.

"Synchronous integration of Southern grid with rest of the national power grid shall not only augment the inter- regional power transfer capacity of Southern region but also relieve the congestion being experienced in few transmission corridors," the Power Ministry had said on January 1.

"This will be a great boost for further economic growth of the country. It is likely to take a few months before power flow over this line is stabilised," it had said.

Out of the country's total installed generation capacity of 2,32,164 MW, Southern region accounted for 57,529 MW at the end of November 2013.

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Inadequate transmission network troubles power producers in Chhattisgarh...

 

Power project developers in Chhattisgarh fear lower profits because of a lack of adequate transmission network that limits their ability to sell surplus electricity out of the state.

Besides state utilities, private power producers such as KSK Energy, Jindal Steel & Power, RKM Powergen and Bhaskar Group are commissioning new projects in Chhattisgarh which will more than double the state's electricity generation capacity in the next couple of years from close to 9,500 mw now. Transmission network in the state, however, is not expanding at the same pace.

"We will soon face a situation where evacuating electricity out of the state will be a challenge as the state commissions more generation capacities," said Shivraj Singh, chairman of state-owned Chhattisgarh State Power Holding Company. "Today, state utilities are selling 400 mw of power to other states and this will ramp up to 900 mw soon. There will be challenges as private producers too add generation capacities."

According to him, Power Grid Corporation was to provide grid connectivity to power projects based in the state. "I am not sure about the status of transmission network projects initiated by Power Grid Corporation. Power producers will not be able to attract good tariff in the absence of adequate evacuation capacities," he said.

By March 2014, Chhattisgarh will add 3,200 mw, which will increase the state's total generation capacity to more than 12,500 mw, but the capacity of transmission networks in the state by then will be just about 9,000 mw. It is projected to have 21,500 mw of generation capacity by March 2015. The lack of adequate transmission network is already hurting the state's ability to sell power on the spot market to outside consumers. According to power-trading platform Indian Energy Exchange, Chhattisgarh witnessed power price going down to Rs 2.30 a unit in November from Rs 2.41 in October.

Commenting on the progress of transmission network, a top Power Grid Corporation official, requesting anonymity, said the company will be able to commission projects if it gets timely environmental clearances and land-usage permission. "We are not responsible for factors beyond our control."

The official said the company's projects in the state are "more or less" progressing as per schedule.

Jindal Steel & Power, which operates the country's first mega power project in the private sector near Raigarh in Chhattisgarh, is already facing limitations in selling power to other states. It is in the process of ramping up its generation capacity from 1,000 mw to 3,400 mw.

"There are new power-transmission lines under construction, which shall provide additional capacity of around 8,500 mw progressively by June 2015. It means Chhattisgarh will have transmission capacity of 16,500-17,500 mw against installed capacity of 21,500 mw in next two years," said a top executive at one of the private sector power producers in the state.

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‘Grid integration may help check 2012-like power outages’...

 

Tuesday’s linking of the southern power grid to the national grid will reduce the possibility of the recurrence of the massive power outage in India a year and half ago, and also improve the quality of power in the country.

The July 30-31, 2012 outage had crippled northern and North-eastern States for several hours and more than 50 crore people went without power. This was the largest power outage in India’s history, and exposed the country’s infrastructural weaknesses.

“Now that all the five regional grids are interlinked, chances for such blackouts are very low,” M. Muhammedali Rawther, Member, Electrical Generation, Kerala State Electricity Board, told Business Line.

“The load flow will be smoother and overdrawal of power by individual States from the national grid can be controlled better.” It was the overdrawal by certain States in the peak of summer that had led to the crash of the national grid and the two-day outage in 2012.

The southern power grid was synchronised with the national power transmission network on the New Year’s Eve, thus facilitating seamless flow of power across the five regional grids.

Rawther pointed out that the national grid would now operate on a single frequency.

“The load flow will be smoother, power supply will be more reliable and there will be fewer voltage fluctuations,” he said. “The overall quality of power will improve.” Load control would be more efficient and easier.

“The technicians at the national load dispatch station in New Delhi can now control load anywhere in the country.”

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Power trading set to get a boost as India gets a national grid...

 

In what may give a big boost to power trading business in the country, India has finally connected the southern region with rest of the country for unhindered electricity flow, achieving the goal of a national grid after a long wait.

“The central transmission utility, Power Grid, has successfully commissioned the Raichur-Solapur 765-KV single-circuit transmission line on Tuesday evening, interconnecting the southern grid synchronously with the rest of the national power grid –- a move that would facilitate bulk transfer of power across regional boundaries. With this, the mission of ‘One Nation – One Grid – One Frequency’ has been successfully accomplished,” the power ministry said on Wednesday.

The national grid will help southern states, especially Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, which are facing huge shortages, lift surplus power from other regions. In the absence of a national grid, these states were paying exorbitantly high prices for buying electricity from the open market because of uncertainty about power evacuation due to congestion in the transmission network.

The Indian power system is operating through five regional grids and a Pan-India synchronous grid was envisaged for optimal utilisation of the generation resources in the country. Till now, four regional grids -- northern, eastern, western and north-eastern -- were connected synchronously and the southern region was connected to the other four grids via HVDC links.

“The 208-circuit-km-long transmission line and 765- and 400-KV substations at Raichur and Sholapur have been commissioned five months ahead of the contracted schedule. The project has been completed at the cost of Rs 815 crore, Power Grid said.

"Synchronous integration of the southern grid with the rest will not only augment the inter-regional power transfer capacity of the southern region, but also relieve congestion seen in a few transmission corridors. This will be a boost for growth of the country," Power Grid added.

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IPPs asked not to use PGCIL line for power supply to Odisha grid...

 

The Odisha government has directed the independent power producers (IPPs) to deliver its share of power at its own substations and transmission lines, instead of transmission network of Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL).

“Government is in the process of executing supplementary MoUs with the IPPs incorporating a provision to the effect that the IPPs shall deliver the state’s share of power at the designated substations of OPTCL, so that the interstate transmission charges payable to PGCIL can be avoided,” said a source in the Energy department.

As per existing practice, IPPs had plans to connect to PGCIL transmission system for sale of power throughout the country and would have used the same line to provide power to Odisha. But the state government’s new norm is likely to affect the business prospects of the private power producers to some extent, said experts.

“It is likely to affect the business margin of private producers as they will have less option to sell their power outside the state in case of fall in demand from the state. The state government at the same time must construct better evacuation system for availing such power,” said an official of Ind Bharat, an IPP.

The Odisha government has signed agreements with 29 private developers with combined generation capacity of 38,000 Mw power. As per the agreements, the IPPs have to sell 14 per cent of total generated power to the state network at a subsidized rate. The state government aims to get around 2000 Mw power from private power stations by 2015 and hence, has come up with large transmission network plan.

The Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited (OTPCL) is in the process of setting up three high capacity substations with an estimated investment of Rs 1000 crore for sale of surplus power.

The substations having 400/220/132 KV capacity would be constructed at Lapanga, Meramundali and Khuntuni. While work for construction of Lapnga substation has already started, land acquisition and other formalities are being chalked out for other two units.

“OPTCL has proposed 400/220 kv grid substations for drawal of state’s share of power from the proposed IPPs. In the event of availability of surplus power from the IPPs, it is planned to sale the Odisha share directly to CTU (central transmission utility) to which the IPPs are planning to connect,” said the Energy department source.

Currently two IPPs, Sterlite Energy and GMR Energy are operational in the state. Another two IPPs, Ind Bharat and Maa Durga Thermal Power are expected to start supplying power to the OPTCL grid in 2014-15.

Source: Business Standard

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Indian power system becomes one of the largest operating synchronous grids in the world...

 

The Southern Grid has been synchronously connected to the rest of the Grid in the country. With this, the mission of  ‘One Nation – One Grid – One Frequency’ has been successfully accomplished. 

The southern grid connectivity was achieved on the evening of  December 31, 2013 through commissioning of Raichur-Solapur 765 kV single circuit transmission line by Power Grid Corporation of India Limited, the Central Transmission Utility of the country, interconnecting the Southern grid synchronously with the  rest of the national power grid facilitating bulk transfer of power across regional boundaries.

This line of 208 circuit kilometers (ckm) and 765/400 kV substations at Raichur and Sholapur has been commissioned five months ahead of its contractual schedule i.e. 31st May, 2014  at a cost of approximately Rs.815 crores. 

With this interconnection, Indian power system has entered into a new era and become one of the largest operating synchronous grids in the world with about 232GW of installed power generation capacity.   Synchronous integration of Southern Grid with rest of the national power Grid shall not only augment the inter-regional power transfer capacity of Southern region but also relieve the congestion being experienced in few transmission corridors. This will be a great boost for further economic growth of the country.

It is likely to take a few months before power flow over this line is stabilized.   Indian Power System is operating through five Regional Grids and a Pan India synchronous grid was envisaged for optimal utilization of the generation resources in the country.

Till now, four regional grids namely Northern, Eastern, Western and North-eastern regions (NEW grid) were connected synchronously and Southern Region (SR) was connected to this NEW grid through HVDC links. Synchronous interconnection of SR with NEW grid was envisaged through high capacity 765 kV Raichur – Sholapur lines, as an ultimate step towards establishment of an “All India Synchronous National Grid” facilitating bulk transfer of power across regional boundaries.

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Trial linking of national and southern power grids to start from today...

 

The Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) will start synchronising the national power grid with the southern power grid on a trial basis on Tuesday. The much-awaited synchronisation is expected to ease electricity shortage in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.

The synchronisation was to begin in the first week of January 2014. But the PGCIL decided to begin testing the synchronisation on Tuesday itself as work on the 800 kV line between Raichur in Karnataka and Solapur in Maharashtra had accelerated, officials explained.

Nevertheless, this synchronisation of the two grids would only be a testing phase and continue for sometime, officials with the Southern Regional Load Dispatch Centre told Deccan Herald.

It is said that this synchronisation testing will continue for the next four to six months until the possibility of sustained power reaching the southern states from the north of the country is ascertained. For Karnataka, the synchronisation of the two grids may bring good news. Once the two grids are linked, the State may get close to 1,000 MW of additional power, according to officials. The State has a medium-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with three to four states in the western and northern parts of the country, including Maharashtra and Gujarat.

The KPTCL has, however, estimated that 1,000 MW of power will be received only after the ‘hierarchy of power supply’ is committed. The hierarchy means upper states will have the first right in the supply of power.  At present, the KPTCL estimates that it receives only 500 MW of the 1,500 MW under the PPA which it has signed with the western and northern states. The PPA continues till April-May 2015.

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PowerGrid gets shareholder approval to hike FII limit to 30 per cent...

 

Power Grid Corporation of India has received shareholder approval to increase the limit of holdings by foreign institutional investors to 30 per cent from 24 per cent currently.

FIIs can acquire and hold, on their own account and on behalf of each of their Sebi-approved sub-accounts, shares of the company up to an aggregate limit of 30 per cent of the paid up capital, the state-owned company said in a filing to the BSE on Friday.

Shareholders also approved a proposal to increase the company's borrowing limit to Rs 1,30,000 crore from the current cap of Rs 1,00,000 crore.

Both proposals were cleared through postal ballots. The plans had been approved by Power Grid's board of directors at a meeting on October 23.

Last month, Power Grid had said that increasing the limit would provide more headroom for FII investments in the company. FII holdings have been on the rise since the company's first follow-on public offer in 2010.

Power Grid had hit the capital market with an initial public offering in October 2007.

Shares worth about Rs 7,000 crore were sold in the company's second follow-on offer, which closed earlier this month.

The government got about Rs 1,600 crore from the sale of 18.51 crore shares, while Power Grid raised close to Rs 5,400 crore from its offer of 60.18 crore new shares.

Proceeds from the offer would be utilised by the company for 27 transmission projects.

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EuroPacific Growth Fund raises Power Grid stake to over 5%...

 

EuroPacific Growth Fund, one of the largest shareholders in Power Grid, has hiked its stake in the state-run utility to 5.4 per cent after acquiring additional shares through the open market.

The Foreign Institutional Investor has increased its shareholding in Power Grid to 5.419 per cent from 4.681 per cent, according to a regulatory filing today.

The entity acquired about 3.9 crore shares, making up for around 0.738 per cent stake in the power transmission firm. These scripts were acquired through open market on December 19, the filing said.

At the end of September quarter, EuroPacific Growth Fund had 3.91 per cent stake in the company.

Earlier this month, Power Grid sold 78.70 crore shares through a Follow on Public Offer (FPO). It included a fresh issue of 60.18 crore equities and sale of over 18.51 crore scrips by the government.

Shares of Power Grid closed flat at Rs 99.55 on the BSE.

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More power to be transmitted to southern states likely next month...

 

On January 14, a single national power grid would allow seamless pan-India flow of electricity in uniform frequency.

State-owned transmission utility Power Grid Corporation is set to charge its high-voltage (765 KV) transmission line between Solapur in Maharashtra and Raichur in Karnataka by the second week of January, ending isolation of the southern grid, which has remained technically cut-off from the north, east and western grids. The integration of the grids would enable consumers in south Indian states to access electricity at competitive rates from generators in the north, who produce surplus power.

“The project to connect southern grid with high-voltage AC transmission line is in the final leg of execution. We should be handed over the line by contractors in the first week of January so that it could be made operational by January 14,” Power Grid CMD RN Nayak told FE.

He added that though the southern grid was even now connected with the rest of the country, it was through a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) line that does not allow synchronous flow of electricity in a uniform frequency, but merely acts as a tap for regulated supply of power. This prevented the southern grid to automatically access surplus power available on the grid at various points of time to meet its deficit.

Southern grid is one of the five regional grids in the country. While the other four — north, west, east and the northeast — are part of one national grid, the southern grid has remained isolated. While the lack of transmission link to the south has often resulted in higher prices of power in the region, this also came a blessing in disguise during the northern grid collapse on July 30-31 last year when the region remained unaffected while large parts of the country suffered blackouts.

The southern grid connectivity project involves putting in place two circuits of 2,100 MW each on 765 KV lines. While Power Grid Corporation will make the single circuit line of 2,100 MW operational in January 2014, the other line being constructed by Patel Engineering may be up and ready.

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Alstom T&D India wins Euro 9 million shunt reactor package for Power Grid's Kanpur and Jhatikara765 kV substations...

 

Alstom T & D India Ltd has won an order worth approximately Rs. 790 million (Euro 9 million) from Power Grid Corporation of India Limited to provide 14 shunt reactors for the 765 kV electrical substations at Kanpur and Jhatikara in the Uttar Pradesh state. The projects are due for delivery in 2015.

Alstom's shunt reactors will have the highest power rating installed on India's Extra High Voltage (EHV) 765 kV electrical grid. The reactors are designed to maintain the 765 kV voltage level, whatever the load, by limiting transient over-voltages which can occur due to sudden load decreases.

All 765 kV equipment for these projects will be manufactured in Alstom's transformer and reactor manufacturing facility at Vadodara in Gujarat, India.

Shares of Alstom T & D India Ltd was last trading BSE at Rs.174.45, down by Rs.1.40 or 0.80%. The stock hit an intraday high of Rs.178 and intraday low of Rs.171.55.

The total traded quantity was 0.11 lakh shares as compared to 2 week average of 0.20 lakh shares.

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world’s highest rated power transmission line between Wardha & Aurangabad...

 

Driven by need and denied help, India developed its own super computers, learnt to put satellites in space and mastered the pressurised heavy water reactor nuclear technology. While these do not make India a scientific super power, they do fetch the country a measure of respectability. Now, the same need is driving India to the cutting edge of technologies in another field — power transmission.

The 400-km distance between Wardha and Aurangabad may not be very long, but the cables which connect the two cities in Maharashtra will, in a couple of years, have the distinction of being the world’s highest capacity power transmission line. At present, it is “charged to 400 kV” but when the Power Grid Corporation of India is ready, the capacity of the line will be raised to 1,200 kV. Nowhere in the world does a 1,200-kV line exist, partly because other countries do not need such high capacity lines. China, another country of distances, which does need ultra high voltage transmission, has a 1,100 kV line in commercial operation.

The Wardha-Aurangabad transmission system takes off from a 2 km-long pilot line that the public sector PGCIL has been experimenting in Bina, Madhya Pradesh. The pilot was to study how electrical systems behave when a current of 1,200 volt zips through them.

The ultra high voltage (UHV) systems have one significant advantage — they can carry more power. This is crucial in a country where laying new lines is a challenge because of ‘right of way’ problems.

“UHV is an evolving technology, specially initiated by countries with large surface areas like China and India,” says John Yesuraj, Deputy General Manager, Design and Technology, Crompton Greaves Ltd. “India’s ambition of 1,200 kV system, which would be a step greater than China’s 1,100 kV, is now widely discussed in international technical forums across the world,” Yesuraj told Business Line.

Cromption Greaves recently announced the setting up of a Rs 40-crore ‘UHV lab’ to test how well the various transmission equipment can withstand electrical stress when current of very high voltage, up to 1,600 kV, passes through it. The lab will enable local manufacture of UHV products, substituting costly imports.

Superconductivity

In the meantime, Power Grid Corporation is all set to begin research into superconducting transmission systems. Superconductivity has been in physics books for long, but is yet to come into reality. Basically, if you pass electricity through a wire, the wire resists the flow and this resistance heats up the wire and some energy is lost as this heat. A superconducting system keeps the cable under extremely low temperatures, so low that making it possible at temperatures of -135 degrees Celsius is called ‘high temperature super conductivity’. The challenge is, of course, to keep the cable so cold but if you get it right, there will be practically no transmission losses.

Power Grid Corporation will soon be set up a research centre in collaboration with IIT Kharakhpur, the company’s Director-Operations, I. S. Jha, said.

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