Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd has received an order of $900 million from ABB to supply ultrahigh-voltage direct current (UHVDC) transmission system.
Northeast India has abundant hydropower resources scattered over a large area, while the load centers are often located thousands of kilometers away.
The UHVDC link, operating at 800 kilovolts (kV) will have a converter capacity of 8,000 megawatts (MW), the highest ever built. It will have supply electricity to 90 million people based on current figures for average national consumption after operation.
The system will be the world’s first multi-terminal ultrahigh-voltage link and will have three converter stations. Two “sending” stations will convert power from alternating current (AC) to DC for transmission over a single power line and deliver electricity to a third, “receiving” station in Agra where it will be converted back into AC for distribution to end users. The power link will pass through the so called \"chicken neck area\"; a very narrow patch of land (22 km wide x 18 km long) in the state of West Bengal, which borders Nepal and Bangladesh. Using ultrahigh-voltage transmission, helps to minimize losses and improve efficiency. The deployment of a multi-terminal solution as compared to running separate power links, brings considerable cost reductions.
Northeast India has abundant hydropower resources scattered over a large area, while the load centers are often located thousands of kilometers away.
The UHVDC link, operating at 800 kilovolts (kV) will have a converter capacity of 8,000 megawatts (MW), the highest ever built. It will have supply electricity to 90 million people based on current figures for average national consumption after operation.
The system will be the world’s first multi-terminal ultrahigh-voltage link and will have three converter stations. Two “sending” stations will convert power from alternating current (AC) to DC for transmission over a single power line and deliver electricity to a third, “receiving” station in Agra where it will be converted back into AC for distribution to end users. The power link will pass through the so called \"chicken neck area\"; a very narrow patch of land (22 km wide x 18 km long) in the state of West Bengal, which borders Nepal and Bangladesh. Using ultrahigh-voltage transmission, helps to minimize losses and improve efficiency. The deployment of a multi-terminal solution as compared to running separate power links, brings considerable cost reductions.