India’s national power transmission network has crossed a major milestone, surpassing 5 lakh circuit kilometres (ckm) of transmission lines at 220 kV and above, along with a transformation capacity of 1,407 GVA, the Ministry of Power said on Thursday.
The milestone was achieved on January 14 with the commissioning of a 628 ckm 765 kV transmission line connecting Bhadla-II to Sikar-II for renewable energy evacuation from Rajasthan’s Renewable Energy Zone. The new line will enable evacuation of an additional 1,100 MW of renewable power from Bhadla, Ramgarh and Fatehgarh solar complexes, officials said.
Since April 2014, India’s transmission network has expanded by 71.6%, adding 2.09 lakh ckm of extra high voltage transmission lines and 876 GVA of transformation capacity. The country’s inter-regional power transfer capacity has also increased to 1,20,340 MW, facilitating seamless electricity flow across regions under the “One Nation, One Grid, One Frequency” vision.
To meet growing demand and renewable energy targets, interstate transmission projects under implementation are expected to add around 40,000 ckm of new lines and 399 GVA of transformation capacity. At the state level, ongoing intrastate projects are projected to contribute another 27,500 ckm of lines and 134 GVA of capacity.
The government has set a target of installing 500 GW of non-fossil fuel power generation capacity by 2030. Expansion of the transmission network is seen as crucial for integrating large-scale renewable energy into the national grid.
Ministry said the 5 lakh ckm milestone underscores sustained efforts to build a reliable and efficient transmission system that supports renewable energy growth while ensuring secure and affordable electricity supply nationwide.
