ABB connects 648 MW solar plant in TN to national grid (Lead, fixing headline)

Engineering company ABB has commissioned five sub-stations to integrate a 648 MW solar power project at Kamuthi in Tamil Nadu to the national transmission grid, it said on Monday.

"ABB connects power to the Indian grid from one of the world's largest solar plants," a company statement said.

"The project was awarded by independent power producer Adani Group in 2015, and completed on schedule.

"The solar photovoltaic project -- made up of five plants at a single location -- is the largest of its kind in the world. This facility will account for nearly 10 per cent of the country's current solar capacity of around seven gigawatts (GW)," it added.

As part of the government's plan of achieving 100 GW of solar power by 2022, the Centre has issued a proposal to implement 25 ultra-mega solar power projects with capacity of 500 to 1,000 MW over a period of five years, ABB said.

"This project exemplifies our end-to-end power and automation system integration capabilities and reinforces our commitment to the renewable energy sector -- a key component of company's next level strategy," ABB Power Grids division president Claudio Facchin said.

According to ABB, the project includes two 230 kilovolt (kv) and three 110 kv outdoor switchyards to connect to the local transmission grid, and it will enable clean power supply for around 150,000 households based on average national per capita consumption.

The ABB Group of companies operates in roughly 100 countries and employs about 135,000 people, the statement added.

--IANS

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