Govt Clears Rs 68,800-Crore High-Capacity Power Corridor to Link Renewable Hubs with Eastern Demand Centres

New Delhi, Nov 12 (KNN) India has approved a Rs 68,800-crore power transmission corridor to carry renewable electricity from western generation hubs to industrial and urban demand centres in the east.

The project, estimated to cost around USD 7.34 billion, is expected to take six years to complete. It will use a 1,150-kilovolt (kV) network, the highest voltage level planned for India's power transmission system, Reuters reported.

The national transmission panel approved the project, according to meeting minutes released on Tuesday.

The higher-voltage network is expected to carry substantially more electricity than existing 765-kV lines, reducing the number of transmission corridors, land requirements and power losses.

Linking Renewable Hubs with Industrial Centres

The first phase will connect Chhattisgarh, Odisha and West Bengal with a 6,000-megawatt high-voltage transmission system carrying renewable power from Rajasthan's Bhadla solar region.

The project comes as India expands renewable energy and battery storage capacity to meet its target of 500 GW of non-fossil power generation by 2030, from more than 300 GW currently.

The corridor is intended to connect renewable generation hubs in western states such as Rajasthan with rising electricity demand in eastern industrial centres, including Odisha.

(KNN Bureau)