This is the biggest power transmission line to be built in the country in terms of capacity and is capable of carrying 1,500 MW across 1,728 km.
August 6, 2017
The North East-Agra transmission line, said to be the biggest power transmission line to be built in the country in terms of capacity, is to be inaugurated soon. This is means that cheap power from the hydro-rich North-East can now reach the central part of North India. The formal inauguration of the line might happen on September 1.
The multinational giant ABB, which has a big play in power transmission infrastructure globally and in India, has built the line for PGCIL. When it is commissioned, the project will be fully operational – in September 2015, the first phase of the project Biswanath Chariali – Agra line went online, capable of carrying 6,000 MW across 1,775 km, from the Assamese town to Agra.
The leg that will be commissioned soon runs between Alipurduar, in northern West Bengal and Agra, completing the project, so that the full line can carry 6,000 MW, zipping through the lines at a voltage of 800,000 volts. (In contrast, the power that is supplied to homes is about 220 volts.) The project cost Rs 12,000 crore.
The completion of the project is good news because it will enable better transmission of clean, hydro-power both from the North-East and Bhutan, to consumption centres in north India. Further, because of this line, more projects in the North-East could be planned.
