ABB Power Products and Systems commissions POWERGRID UHVDC project

Hitachi ABB Power Grids in India said that it has commissioned a 6GW ultra-high voltage direct current transmission link (UHVDC project) for Power Grid Corporation of India (POWERGRID).

The company, which trades on Indian stock exchanges as ABB Power Products and Systems India Limited, said that the +/-800 kilovolt (kV) transmission line can handle the electricity requirements of over 80 million people.

The POWERGRID UHVDC project is 1,800km long and it connects Raigarh in Chhattisgarh to Pugalur in Tamil Nadu.

N Venu – Managing Director and CEO of Hitachi ABB Power Grids in India said: “With the commissioning of this groundbreaking 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.”

ABB Power Products and Systems commissions POWERGRID UHVDC project. Photo courtesy of Hitachi ABB Power Grids in India.

Hitachi ABB Power Grids said that the POWERGRID UHVDC project bolsters grid resilience and by combining conventional and renewable power generation, stabilizes the power infrastructure. It also facilitates further development and integration of sustainable energy to support the Indian government’s ambition of achieving 450GW of renewable energy by the end of this decade.

The company had won the contract for the POWERGRID UHVDC project in consortium with BHEL in 2016.

Hitachi ABB Power Grids delivered the UHVDC converter stations, which included design, engineering, construction, installation, and commissioning, along with major equipment such as 800kV converter transformers, converter valves, high-voltage products and control and protection technology.