The Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd has awarded a contract worth more than Rs 4,000 crore to ABB for an ultra high-voltage direct current (UHVDC) transmission system.

The UHVDC system will be used to supply hydro power from the North-East to Agra region in the north of the country. The sophisticated system will allow the power to be transferred over 1,700 kilometres. The total project is worth about Rs 5,000 crore and will be executed on a turnkey basis. It involves design, system engineering, supply, installation and commissioning.

The company has agreed to set aside over Rs 500 crore of the total order value for local equipment supplies. It will also provide design and engineering services to the project. The UHVDC system will operate at 800 kilovolts
(kV) and will have a converter capacity of 8,000 megawatts (MW). The transmission system will be world’s first multi-terminal ultrahigh-voltage link and will include three converter stations.

The first two stations will convert power from AC to DC for transmission on a single power line and deliver electricity to the third station in Agra where it will be converted to AC for distribution.

The company has said that the ultrahigh-voltage transmission will allow it to minimise losses and improve efficiency in power distribution. ABB will carry out the project with Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd.