GE and PGCIL strengthen the grid for half a billion people in India

GE Energy Connections announced that it has successfully transmitted 1,500 MW of power for phase 1 of the Champa UHVDC project. Led by Power Grid Corporation of India, Ltd (PGCIL) the project will connect reliable, safe, and efficient energy to an estimated 46 per cent of India’s population. This would benefit the people in North India with leading states such as Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The Champa 800 kV UHVDC project will connect thermal power produced in Chhattisgarh to the north via Kurukshetra, through a 1,365 km energy highway. Executed in two phases, the project will transport 6,000 MW of power upon full completion. Both phases comprise two poles, each with the capacity to transmit 1,500 MW. This is also the first 800 kV scheme in the world to use dedicated metallic return conductors eliminating the need for ground electrodes and increasing the system’s reliability.

“Connecting people all over the world to the energy they need to live and thrive is our purpose at Energy Connections. When we help turn the lights on for the India’s Northern region and are proud to have partnered with Power Grid to deliver and commission this brand new 800 kV UHVDC connection for India,” said Reinaldo Garcia, president and CEO, Grid Solutions from GE Energy Connections.