Hitachi ABB Power Grids commissions Power Grid CorpÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s UHVDC project in India

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Hitachi ABB Power Grids commissions Power Grid CorpÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s UHVDC project in India

Hitachi ABB Power Grids commissions Power Grid CorpÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s UHVDC project in India

Industry News
Jul 27,21

Raigarh-Pugalur link is accelerating the countryÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s clean energy transition by contributing to a resilient and reliable electricity network

Hitachi ABB Power Grids commissions Power Grid CorpÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s UHVDC project in India

Bangalore, July 26, 2021 Ã¢â‚¬â€œ

Hitachi ABB Power Grids in India - listed on Indian stock exchanges as ABB Power Products and Systems India Limited - has successfully commissioned one of IndiaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s longest ultra-high voltage direct current (UHVDC) transmission links for Power Grid Corporation of India Lim-ited (PGCIL).

The +/-800 kilovolt (kV), 6,000-megawatt (MW) link has the capacity to meet the electricity needs of more than 80 million people and stretches 1,800-kilometers to connect Raigarh in Cen-tral India to Pugalur in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Reliable power can now be transmitted in either direction depending on demand, with exceptionally low power losses and minimal en-vironmental footprint. The link supports the Indian governmentÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s mission and the UN Sustaina-ble Development Goal No. 7 of increasing access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and mod-ern energy for all.

Hitachi ABB Power Grids worked with the customer, government agencies, local authorities and suppliers to deliver the link during the COVID-19 pandemic. Responsible project execution with health and safety at the forefront were key to this achievement.

Ã¢â‚¬Å“We strive to be a socially responsible business. Supporting society and protecting our people is at the center of our operations. With the commissioning of this groundbreaking UHVDC link, we have kept our promise to enable more clean and reliable power for millions of people, help-ing 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,Ã¢â‚¬Â said N Venu, Managing Director and CEO, Hitachi ABB Power Grids in India.

The link strengthens grid resilience and stabilizes the power infrastructure by combining tradi-tional and renewable power generation. It enables further development and integration of sus-tainable energy, supporting the governmentÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s goal of reaching 450 gigawatts (GW) of renewa-ble energy by 2030.

Using HVDC helps to conserve the environment by only occupying about one-third of the land compared to a traditional AC link. In this case, that amounts to a saving of approximately 130 square kilometers Ã¢â‚¬â€œ equal to a quarter of the area of Mumbai.

The consortium of Hitachi ABB Power Grids and state-owned engineering and manufacturing firm BHEL won the order in 2016 from Power Grid Corporation of India Limited. Hitachi ABB Power Grids has been responsible for delivering the UHVDC converter stations, including de-sign, engineering, construction, installation, and commissioning, as well as major equipment, including 800 kV converter transformers, converter valves, high-voltage products and control and protection technology.

Hitachi ABB Power Grids is the global market leader in HVDC technology. The company has an impressive HVDC track record in India, where it introduced the technology with the Vin-dhyachal project in 1989. Raigarh-Pugalur is the companyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s sixth HVDC project in India and the second UHVDC installation, following the multi-terminal North-East Agra link.

Hitachi ABB Power Grids is a global technology leader with a combined heritage of almost 250 years, employing around 36,000 people in 90 countries. Headquartered in Switzerland, the business serves utility, industry and infrastructure customers across the value chain, and emerg-ing areas like sustainable mobility, smart cities, energy storage and data centers. With a proven track record, global footprint and unparalleled installed base, Hitachi ABB Power Grids balanc-es social, environmental and economic values. It is committed to powering good for a sustaina-ble energy future, with pioneering and digital technologies, as the partner of choice for enabling a stronger, smarter, and greener grid.