ABB bags Rs 425 cr orders from Powergrid

ABB India, a power and automation technology group, has won substation orders worth Rs 425 crore from Powergrid, India’s national transmission utility, to boost capacity and help improve grid reliability. The orders were booked in the first quarter.

According to a statement from ABB, it is responsible for the design, supply, installation and commissioning of 765/400 kilovolt (kV) substations at Agra (Uttar Pradesh), Wardha (Maharashtra), Bilaspur and Seoni (Madhya Pradesh), and of a 400/220 kV substation at Palakkad (Kerala). The projects are expected to be completed by mid-2011.

“We are pleased to be a part of Powergrid’s efforts to strengthen India’s power infrastructure,” said Biplab Majumder, vice-chairman and managing director, ABB India. “These substations for the national grid are an integral part of the country’s plans to develop an ultrahigh-voltage transmission network, improving transmission efficiency and addressing growing demand for electricity.”

The equipment to be supplied includes a range of circuit breakers; current transformers and capacitor voltage transformers, used for monitoring current and operations; surge arrestors; protection systems; control and relay panels; as well as the substation automation.

The substation projects are part of Powergrid’s program to strengthen the national transmission grid and to enhance the inter-regional power transfer capacity to around 37,000 megawatts by 2012. An extensive 800kV and 1,200kV ultrahigh-voltage system is expected to form the backbone of the transmission network and facilitate the transfer of power across India.