ABB bags Rs. 125 crore order to upgrade three substations.

ABB India has bagged Rs. 125 crore order from the PowerGrid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) for extension of three substations in Vadodara, Manesar and Malerkotla.

This is part of a larger order, valued at Rs. 175 crore, which has been awarded to ABB Group. The order was booked in the second quarter of 2015.

Gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) will be used to accommodate the expansion of all three existing substations.

While in Vadodara and Manesar this involves the extension of the current 765/400 kilovolt (kV) GIS substations, in Malerkotla the substation will be upgraded from air-insulated switchgear (AIS) to GIS. Commissioning of these three substations is scheduled for end of 2016.

'This GIS solution will help the customer extend substation capacity, within the limited space, considerably more than a traditional air insulated switchgear solution,' N Venu, president of Power Systems division of ABB India, was quoted as saying in a press release.

ABB's solution will help the state utility augment their substations to meet growing demand in the states of Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab, which form the major part of the country's agricultural belt.

ABB India will carry out the installation, testing and commissioning of the substations on site.

'ABB has been growing with India for over five decades and is well positioned to partner in improving access to electricity. India's peak demand is only around 60 percent of its installed generation capacity, so increasing focus on technology adoption and strengthening transmission and distribution infrastructure will significantly improve electricity availability,' said Venu.

TOI