NCT approves six new projects worth Rs 96.7 billion

The National Committee on Transmission (NCT) recently recommended six interstate transmission system (ISTS) schemes with a total project outlay of nearly Rs 96.7 billion, to be implemented under the tariff-based competitive bidding (TBCB) mechanism. These schemes aim to enhance India’s power transmission infrastructure across various states.

The first scheme focuses on developing a transmission system to supply power to green hydrogen and ammonia manufacturing in the Kandla area of Gujarat, with a planned capacity of 3 GW. This project, estimated at Rs 27.75 billion, will be executed over 36 months with PFC Consulting Ltd (PFCCL) as the bid process coordinator.

Another significant scheme involves the augmentation of transformation capacity at the Banaskantha (Ranghanesda) Pooling Station in Rajasthan, estimated to cost Rs 1.72 billion. REC Power Development & Consultancy Ltd (RECPDCL) will oversee this project, which is scheduled for completion within 24 months.

A third scheme targets augmenting transformation capacity at KPS1 and KPS2 in Gujarat, with an outlay of Rs 4.66 billion. Like the Banaskantha project, this scheme will be implemented by RECPDCL over 24 months.

The largest of the six schemes involves the transmission system for evacuating power from the Rajasthan Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) Phase-V, specifically the Sirohi/Nagaur complex. This project, estimated at Rs 50.28 billion, will also be managed by RECPDCL and is expected to be completed in 24 months.

Another project, aimed at augmenting infrastructure at the Fatehgarh-II, Fatehgarh-IV, and Barmer-I Pooling Stations in Rajasthan, has an estimated cost of Rs 4.04 billion and will be coordinated by PFCCL. The implementation period for this scheme is 24 months.

The final scheme, known as the North-Eastern Region Expansion Scheme – XXV Part-A (NERES-XXV Part-A), is focused on Assam and carries an estimated cost of Rs 8.25 billion. It will be implemented over 36 months with PFCCL as the bid process coordinator.

Three of these schemes—the Kandla green hydrogen project, Rajasthan REZ Phase-V, and NERES-XXV—each have an estimated cost exceeding Rs 5 billion and will require final approval from the Union Power Ministry. For the remaining three, the NCT’s approval is final. The total estimated cost of all six schemes is around Rs 96.7 billion.

The NCT has also proposed two ISTS projects to be implemented by Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) under the regulated tariff mechanism (RTM). The larger project involves augmenting transformation capacity at Tumkur (Pavagada) in Karnataka, with an estimated cost of Rs 1.18 billion. The second, a smaller component of the NERES-XXV scheme, will be executed in Assam and has a projected cost of Rs 0.82 billion. This component will convert fixed-line reactors to switchable ones and implement a neutral grounding reactor bypass arrangement.

In addition to approving new projects, the NCT has recommended the de-notification of a previously proposed scheme under “Chhatarpur Transmission Ltd.” This scheme, aimed at evacuating power from Chhatarpur SEZ in Madhya Pradesh, has been cancelled due to the non-finalization and subsequent cancellation of the proposed solar park.