IN Brief:
- POWERGRID has taken ownership of the SPV responsible for the 6GW Barmer-II to South Kalamb transmission scheme.
- The project uses ±800kV LCC HVDC technology over a corridor of roughly 1,000km.
- The system will evacuate solar generation from Rajasthan and includes converter terminals, transmission lines and AC network infrastructure.
Power Grid Corporation of India has acquired Barmer HVDC Power Transmission Limited, taking control of the project company responsible for a 6GW high voltage direct current corridor between Rajasthan and Maharashtra.
REC Power Development and Consultancy Limited transferred the special purpose vehicle after POWERGRID emerged as the successful bidder through India’s tariff based competitive bidding process. The acquisition places the Barmer-II to South Kalamb scheme within the ownership structure responsible for developing and operating the transmission system.
The corridor is designed to evacuate 6GW of solar generation from the Rajasthan Renewable Energy Zone Phase IV Barmer complex. Its central element is a ±800kV line commutated converter HVDC link between Barmer-II in Rajasthan and South Kalamb in Maharashtra, crossing Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra over roughly 1,000km.
The transmission specification provides 6,000MW of transfer capability through two 3,000MW bipoles, each divided into two 1,500MW poles. The configuration also includes dedicated metallic return and 100% power reversal capability, alongside converter terminals and associated AC network infrastructure.
The SPV transfer is distinct from the converter terminal procurement already under way for the same corridor. That development concerned GE Vernova T&D India’s L1 position for a major equipment package, while POWERGRID’s acquisition covers ownership of the transmission company and responsibility for delivery of the complete inter-state scheme.
An HVDC corridor of this scale extends far beyond its converter stations. The project requires the long distance overhead bipole, substations and extensions, reactive power equipment, protection, telecommunications and control systems to operate as an integrated transmission asset before renewable generation can use the new transfer capacity.
Procurement activity is already distributed across several transmission line and terminal packages covering sections in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Civil and electrical works at Barmer-II and South Kalamb add further interfaces, requiring equipment deliveries and line construction to converge on a common commissioning programme.
Line commutated converter technology is established for very large point-to-point power transfers. Thyristor valves convert alternating current to direct current at the sending terminal before reversing the process at the receiving end, allowing bulk electricity to move over long distances at controllable transfer levels.
The architecture also imposes significant requirements on the surrounding AC networks. LCC converter stations consume reactive power and generate characteristic harmonics, so filters and reactive compensation form a substantial part of the terminal equipment. Network strength and recovery following disturbances also have to be assessed through system studies before energisation.
The Barmer specification includes synchronous condensers, adding rotating electrical machines whose principal role is system support rather than energy generation. They can provide reactive power and short circuit strength around networks carrying increasing quantities of inverter connected solar generation.
System protection becomes particularly important at a 6GW transfer rating. The sudden loss of a significant share of the corridor would represent a major power system disturbance, requiring control and protection schemes that can isolate faults while managing the effect on frequency, voltage and neighbouring network assets.
The project is structured on a build, own, operate and transfer basis. POWERGRID must progress the required transmission licence and regulatory processes, construct the assets, meet specified availability requirements and provide the transmission service through the contractual operating period.
The competitive structure separates the project company transfer from the longer term cost of the transmission service. Industry reporting places POWERGRID’s annual transmission charge bid at about ₹3,244.33 crore, while the SPV acquisition itself was valued at approximately ₹18.98 crore.
The two figures represent different elements of the transaction. The acquisition price transfers the project company and its associated rights and liabilities, while the transmission charge forms the commercial basis on which the finished network service will be delivered.
The industrial workload will extend across converter valves, transformers, synchronous condensers, towers, conductors, insulators, protection and control equipment, civil works and site commissioning. A line corridor crossing three states also adds right of way, logistics and construction coordination to the electrical engineering programme.
POWERGRID’s acquisition therefore marks the start of an ownership and delivery phase rather than completion of the project. The company now controls the SPV responsible for carrying the 6GW corridor through detailed execution, regulatory approvals, construction and commissioning.
Future milestones will come from contract placement, line construction, terminal equipment delivery and eventual energisation. The 23 September transfer establishes who is responsible for turning the competitive bid into an operating ±800kV transmission system.
