Alstom to build Phase 2 of 800 kV ChampaKurukshetra UHVDC link

Alstom has been awarded 400 million (INR 32500 million) in contracts[1] to build Phase II of the ChampaKurukshetra Ultra-High Voltage Direct Current (UHVDC) link in Northern India, by Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL). This new ±800 kV, 3000 MW transmission link will run in parallel with the first UHVDC transmission link awarded to Alstom in 2012, increasing the total transmission capacity of the advanced UHVDC system to 6000 MW.

Phase II of this UHVDC system will complete the 1,365 km long energy highway between Champa in central India and Kurukshetra in northern India. It will transfer clean, bulk power efficiently from the Chhattisgarh region - a hub of Independent Power Producers of thermal power - to the load centre in the northern region of the country.

Alstom will build two ±800 kV, 3000 MW converter terminal stations, and design, manufacture and deliver on a turnkey basis ±800 kV UHVDC thyristor valves, 32 converter transformers, 400 kV gas-insulated switchgear, substation equipment, and communication and supervisory control and data acquisition systems (SCADA). The project also covers the commissioning and successful operation of both the terminal stations and their integration with Champa Kurukshetra Line 1 bipole (from Phase I), currently under construction. All equipment will be manufactured by Alstoms facilities in India, United Kingdom, France and Italy.

Rathin Basu, Managing Director of Alstom T&D India said, Alstom has been the frontrunner in deploying the latest HVDC technology and solutions in India. We have been actively associated with Power Grid in establishing back-to-back HVDC systems in the past to improve power flow and grid connectivity between the five electrical regions of India. The Champa-Phase II HVDC project follows the earlier success of Champa-Phase I, and confirms Alstoms market and technological leadership in the HVDC domain.

HVDC is increasingly the preferred choice for utilities to ensure efficient, reliable bulk power transmission. Alstom Grid is a major supplier of turnkey HVDC solutions worldwide. In India, Alstom has supplied HVDC systems for Vizag (State of Andhra Pradesh), Chandrapur (State of Maharashtra), Sasaram (State of Bihar), and is currently constructing the Phase I ±800 kV Champa Kurukshetra link.

Press contacts 

Sapna Lalwani (Alstom T&D India) Tel: +91 911204731676;  sapna.lalwani@alstom.com

Aline Besselièvre (Alstom Grid) Tel: +33 1 49 01 67 60; aline.besselievre@alstom.com

Elizabeth Wang (Alstom Grid) Tel: +33 1 49 01 61 23; elizabeth.wang-ext@alstom.com

[1] This contract will be booked in Q2 of the current fiscal year.