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The bids invited by the Power Finance Corporation (PFC) to set up transmission lines for wheeling power from the northeastern states to the northern region have evoked the interest of several global players such as Korea Electric Power Company, Italian firm Terna SpA, Israel Electric Corporation and Indian players such as Reliance Infrastructure, Tata Power, RPG Transmission and GMR Energy. This is part of the Central Government policy to end the monopoly of Power grid corporation in the construction of inter-regional transmission lines. It requires the setting up of Bongaigaon-Siliguri 400 kV DC and Purnea-Biharshariff 400 kV DC transmission lines.

The projects will be awarded after a two-stage bidding process. Interested bidders are required to submit the financial bids after qualifying. The bidding has been kept open to all infrastructure companies. Firms operating in the power sector have been excluded.

According to power ministry officials, “This flexibility was necessary to break the monopoly of Power Grid Corporation in the power transmission sector”. Efforts will be made to generate good response to the bidding process as there are very few players operating at a small level in the sector, officials said.

Requests for qualification for the transmission project will have to be submitted by December 4. The bids will open on the same day. The PFC has formed a wholly owned special purpose vehicle — East-North Interconnection Company — for implementing the tendering process.

Though the scheme is located in the northeastern and eastern region, it has been conceived as an extension of the northern region network. The power will be mainly utilised by the northern region to meet its energy requirement, officials said.

Substantial exportable power will be available in the Northeast after the commissioning of Tripura Gas (740 MW), Bongaigaon thermal power station (750 MW) and Kameng hydro power (600 MW). Subansiri hydropower (2000 MW) will contribute to the exportable surplus of the region. The northern region will also import power from hydro projects in Sikkim.

The Central Electricity Authority has allocated 689 mega watt (MW) of power to several northern regions from Subansiri Lower (533MW) and Kameng (156MW) hydropower projects. Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, Uttrakhand and Chandigarh will use power from these two projects.

Courtsey- Telegraph