Alstom T&D India has been awarded a contract worth approximately Rs 226 crore by Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PowerGrid) to supply two gas-insulated substations (GIS).
The substations will be located at Betul in Madhya Pradesh and Navsari in Gujarat. Both substations will be completely manufactured in India, making this PowerGrid’s first ‘Make in India’ 400 kV GIS.
The first 400/220 kV GIS substation constructed at Betul will transmit power generated from the Mouda Super Thermal Power Plant – II. The second installation at Navsari will carry power generated at the Kakrapar Atomic Power Station. Both substations will feed power to the national grid.
The scope of contract includes design, engineering, manufacturing, installation and commissioning of the GIS at Betul, including supply and erection of two 400/220/33 kV, 315 MVA auto transformers.
The Navsari substation, which currently has eleven GIS bays, will be extended to include two additional bays. All equipment will be manufactured and supplied from Alstom T&D India’s manufacturing facilities in India.
In a statement, Rathin Basu, Managing Director, Alstom T&D India, said, “Since building the first local GIS manufacturing plant at Chennai in 2009, we have supplied over 300 bays, the largest number of GIS equipment made in India, to Indian customers.”
As land becomes scarce in India, GIS has become a more commercially viable solution and is gaining popularity as the preferred technology in India.
It is ideal for use in restricted areas and also suitable to be used in locations with severe weather conditions (high temperatures, altitudes, near the sea) and industrial environments (toxic areas or corrosive environments). The footprint of a typical GIS is generally 10 times smaller than an air-insulated substation (AIS).