A consortium of Bharat Heavy Electricals and Hitachi Energy India has received a letter of intent from Rajasthan Part I Power Transmission to establish high-voltage direct current line commutated converters (HDVC LCC) terminal stations in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. 

The project will include 6,000 MW HDVC LCC terminal stations at Bhadla III in Rajasthan and Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh, along with an 800 kV HVDC station (4×1,500 MW) connecting the two locations and associated AC substations. 

Rajasthan Part I Power Transmission is a special-purpose vehicle set up by Adani Energy Solutions to facilitate the evacuation of renewable energy from Rajasthan's Renewable Energy Zone. 

The project is expected to be completed by 2030. 

Adani Energy Solutions previously secured the Rs 250 billion Bhadla-Fatehpur HVDC transmission project from REC Power Development and Consultancy under a tariff-based competitive bidding process. This marked the first transmission project awarded to the private sector. 

This transmission initiative is part of a broader effort to evacuate an additional 20 GW of renewable energy from Rajasthan’s renewable energy zones under Phase III Part I. 

The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has outlined that India’s transmission system will expand significantly between 2022 and 2027, with the addition of 114,687 ckm of transmission lines, 776,330 MVA of transformation capacity at 220 kV and above, and 1,000 MW of HVDC bi-pole capacity. By the end of 2027, the total transmission line length will reach 571,403 ckm, transformation capacity will increase to 18,47,280 MVA, and the HVDC bi-pole capacity will reach 34,500 MW. 

However, experts caution that the limited funding for the Green Energy Corridor (GEC), which remains unchanged at Rs 6 billion in the recent budget, could pose challenges. They warn that India’s clean energy ambitions may face setbacks if transmission infrastructure does not keep up with the increasing demand for renewable energy integration and grid connectivity. 

(Mercom)