INDIA -- Hitachi ABB Power Grids in India has commissioned one of India's longest ultra-high voltage direct current (UHVDC) transmission links for Power Grid Corporation of India Limited.

The Raigarh-Pugalur link is accelerating India's clean energy transition by contributing to a resilient and reliable electricity network.

The consortium of Hitachi ABB Power Grids and state-owned engineering and manufacturing company BHEL won the order in 2016. Hitachi ABB Power Grids has been responsible for delivering the UHVDC converter stations, including design, 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.

The +/-800 kV, 6,000-MW Raigarh-Pugalur link has the capacity to meet the electricity needs of more than 80 million people and stretches 1,118 miles to connect Raigarh in Central India to Pugalur in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, the manufacturer said in a press release.

The link strengthens grid resilience and stabilizes the power infrastructure by combining traditional and renewable power generation. It enables further development and integration of sustainable energy, supporting the government's goal of reaching 450 GW of renewable energy by 2030.

Raigarh-Pugalur is the company's sixth HVDC project in India and the second UHVDC installation, following the multi-terminal North-East Agra link.

Source: Hitachi ABB Power Grids