New transmission lines reduce power congestion in South India

Additional 3,000 MW to be available in the region

Congestion in southern India has reduced due to the commissioning of the Raichur-Solapur and Aurangabad-Solapur transmission lines, which has helped evacuate 2,000 MW of electricity.

PowerGrid Corporation expects the completion of the Kolhapur-Narendra transmission line by the end of October will lead to evacuation of another 1,000 MW in southern India.

India’s inter-regional electricity transfer capacity is 51,650 MW and PowerGrid has proposed to increase it to 65,000 MW by the end of the Twelfth Plan. The southern region was connected to the central grid in synchronous mode on December 31, 2013.

‘The monsoon this year was deficient so hydroelectricity generation has come down in some states, including Karnataka. Yet Tamil Nadu has now surplus power. We are working aggressively,” Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal told Business Standard.

RN Nayak, former chairman and managing director of PowerGrid, said India was one electricity market now except for a few hours during the day. “With the increase in transmission capacity the price of power is becoming uniform,’’ he added.

MG Raoot, managing director and chief executive officer of  Power Exchange India, said the commissioning of the Solapur-Raichur transmission line between Maharashtra and Karnataka had led to bilateral power purchase.

‘’Allocation to the day-ahead market is not a priority as the transmission capacity is allocated for bilateral trade flow of the southern states,’’ he added.

Raoot said the average power price in the day-ahead market for the southern region was Rs 3.68 per unit in July and Rs 6.17 per unit in September.

A SAVING GRACE FOR SOUTHERN INDIA
The average power price in the day-ahead market for the southern region was Rs 3.68 per unit in July and Rs 6.17 per unit in September

• PowerGrid has proposed to increase India’s inter-regional electricity transfer capacity to 65,000 MW by the end of the Twelfth Plan
• Raichur-Solapur and Aurangabad-Solapur transmission lines can help evacuate 2,000 MW of electricity
• PowerGrid Corporation expects the completion of the Kolhapur-Narendra transmission line which will lead to evacuation of another 1,000 MW
• The commissioning of the Solapur-Raichur transmission line between Maharashtra and Karnataka had led to bilateral power purchase