Hitachi ABB Power Grids has successfully completed one of India's longest ultra-high voltage direct current transmission links for Power Grid Corporation of India Limited. The 6,000-megawatt (MW) +/-800 kilovolt (kV) link stretches 1,800 kilometres from Raigarh in Central India to Pugalur in Tamil Nadu's southern state.
The project can meet the electricity needs of more than 80 million people. Depending on demand, reliable electricity may now be transported in either direction with extremely low power losses and a small environmental footprint. The link helps the Indian government's goal of providing access to affordable, dependable, sustainable, and modern energy for all people, as well as the UN's Sustainable Development Goal No. 7.
Hitachi ABB Power Grids worked with the government agencies, local governments, customers and suppliers to deliver the link during the COVID-19 outbreak. The success of this project was based on responsible project execution with health and safety at the centre.
“We want to be a socially responsible organization. At the heart of our operations is supporting society and protecting our people,” said N Venu, Managing Director and CEO of Hitachi ABB Power Grids in India.
“Our promise to provide millions of people with more clean, reliable power is kept, by putting this ground-breaking ultra-high voltage direct current link into service, and aiding in the creation of a sustainable energy future in which electricity serves as the energy system's backbone. The health and safety of our customers, staff, and partners remained our top focus throughout the project,” says N Venu, MD&CEO, Hitachi ABB Power Grid, India.
By integrating traditional and renewable power generation, the connection enhances grid resilience and stabilizes the power infrastructure. It supports the government's aim of 450 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy by 2030 by allowing for further development and integration of sustainable energy.
When compared to a standard AC link, high-voltage direct current (HVDC saves the environment by occupying just around one-third of the area. In this situation, that translates to a reduction of 130 square kilometres or roughly a quarter of Mumbai's area.
Power Grid Corporation of India Limited awarded the contract to a collaboration of Hitachi ABB Power Grids and state-owned engineering and manufacturing business BHEL in 2016. Hitachi ABB Power Grids was in charge of designing, engineering, construction, installation, and commissioning of the ultra-high voltage direct current converter stations, as well as important equipment such as high-voltage products, converter valves, control and protection technology, 800 kV converter transformers.
Hitachi ABB Power Grids is the world's market leader in high-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology. The business has a long history with HVDC in India, having pioneered the technology with the Vindhyachal project in 1989. Following the multi-terminal North-East Agra link, Raigarh-Pugalur is the company's sixth HVDC project in India and the second ultra-high voltage direct current installation.