Sterlite Grid Limited has announced a major milestone with the successful commissioning of India's first "Ultra Mega" transmission project. The first line in this project connecting Purnea and Bihar Sharif was commissioned in September 2013, which was the first 400 KV line to cross the river Ganges since Independence. The second line, which is about 225km long, connects Bongaigaon in Assam to Siliguri in West Bengal. The 400 KV double-circuit quad transmission line was commissioned last week, making the East-North Interconnection Company Ltd. (ENICL) fully operational.
ENICL project transmission lines were identified as one of the highest priority lines by Power System Operation Corporation Limited (POSOCO), as they provide critical connectivity for transfer of power from the power plants in the North Eastern (NE) region. Also, this project will address the critical issue of power shortfall during non-monsoon months, bringing significant relief to the residents of Assam.
Transmission lines in this project pass through some of the most difficult terrains in Bihar, West Bengal and Assam. The construction of these lines were completed by overcoming several challenges including natural calamities like floods and earthquakes, crossing of large rivers such as Ganges, Teesta, Kosi etc., riots in Kokrajhar and right-of-way hurdles.
Pravin Agarwal, chairman, Sterlite Grid Ltd., says, "The completion of ENICL project is a great achievement for the company, and has helped double the power transfer to the region, impacting the lives of millions of residents. This has also been a great testimony to Sterlite's robust project engineering capabilities and takes us a step closer to achieving our vision of connecting every home on the planet. We remain grateful to the state governments of West Bengal, Assam and Bihar, and the Ministry of Power and Project Monitoring Group under the Cabinet Committee for Investment for their unwavering support for this project of national importance."
