The Hindu Business Line : Transmission: PowerGrid enters bidding mode

Hyderabad June 22 Power Grid Corporation of India is entering into a bidding mode for a mega transmission project that will be able to evacuate about 7,000 MW at one go up from 3,500 MW now.

Such a project would help transmit from energy surplus regions of the country to energy-starved regions. This is one of the pioneering projects in the world and matter has been posed for World Bank support, the Chairman and Managing Director of Power Grid, Dr R.P. Singh, said.

While refraining to divulge any additional information with regard to this mega project as they were in the pre-IPO stage, Dr Singh said that a team of 13 engineering consultants have been engaged, as a consortia for the project.

Huge Project

"We are in the process of preparing technology specifications and tender documents," Dr Singh said, delivering the Silver Jubilee lecture on Integrated Development of Power Sector for Long-term Sustainability at the Engineering Staff College of India, based at Gachibowli near Hyderabad late on Wednesday.

This project envisages upgradation of 400 kV stations to 765 kV stations. Since the project is huge, risks associated need to be factored in, he said.

Earlier, Dr Singh suggested the need to create a redundancy in power distribution network and also favoured operation and maintenance of transmission lines by a separate wire company.

This, he felt, would bring higher efficiencies and also help create smaller companies at the local level.

Facing competition

Welcoming competition, Dr Singh said Power Grid as a company formed in 1991-92, it has treaded a tough path and is now ready to face any sort of competition in the market place.

Referring to the country's power sector, Dr Singh said that the sector needed a more focussed and integrated approach spanning various fuel options and infrastructure support.

The demand supply mismatch of power was about 14-15 per cent in peak times and the energy shortage was about 10 per cent.

By improving the transmission lines a big chunk of underserved areas could be covered.

"The transmission arm of the power sector in the country is the most neglected area and we expect to witness significant investments over the next few years aimed at further strengthening the system and also helping evacuate power to under served areas of the country," he explained.