ABB Substation to Help Reinforce Indian Power Grid

ABB has won an order worth around $18 million from Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL), India’s central power transmission utility, to construct a 400-kV gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) substation at Kolhapur in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. The new substation will help strengthen the inter regional grid between the western and southern regions. The order was booked in the first quarter.
“This substation will boost power transmission to the southern region and increase the inter regional transfer capacity” said Oleg Aleinikov, head of ABB’s Substations business, a part of the company’s Power Systems division “ABB’s latest GIS technology will help reduce the substation’s footprint significantly, while ensuring efficiency and reliability.“

ABB’s project scope includes design, engineering, supply, installation and commissioning. Key product supplies include the 400-kV GIS, shunt reactors, control and relay panels based on IEC 61850 platform. ABB’s latest generation GIS has a compact, modular and eco-efficient design, enabling reduction in product volume, footprint and weight, while enhancing eco-efficiency. The project is scheduled for completion in 2016.

ABB has previously supplied several GIS substations to PGCIL and has recently commissioned the 765/400-kV substation at Sholapur, ahead of schedule. The key node enabled the completion of the Raichur-Sholapur transmission line, linking the southern grid to the national transmission grid. All of India’s five regional grids are now connected into a national power grid and operate on the same frequency. This marks an important milestone in the realization of India’s ‘One Nation – One Grid – One Frequency’ vision, defined in the 1990s.