Mega project worth over INR 4.350 crore (about $ 640 million) for ABB in India, to deliver a UHVDC power transmission link in collaboration with India’s national electricity grid operator PowerGrid. The Raigarh-Pugalur 800 kV ultrahigh-voltage direct current system will connect Raigarh in Central India to Pugalur, in the southern state of Tamil India, bringing electricity to more than 80 million people, covering a distance of 1.830 km. With a capacity of 6.000 megawatts, the two-way link will integrate thermal and wind energy for transmission of power to distant high consumption centers, supporting electricity demands in the south, when wind strength is low, and transmitting clean energy to the north, when wind power exceeds.
HVDC transmission links help to conserve land, as they occupy only one third of the space compared to alternative systems, and the mega project will also feature technologies selected to minimize the footprint of the transmission stations. UHVDC transmission is a development of HVDC, a technology pioneered by ABB more than 60 years ago. ABB has been awarded about 110 HVDC projects, representing a total installed capacity of more than 120.000 MW. Raigarh-Pugalur is ABB’s sixth HVDC project in India, booked in the fourth quarter of 2016 and expected to be completed in 2019, and the second UHVDC installation, following the multi-therminal North-East Agra link.