Plans have been approved for a high-capacity power transmission corridor in India, with the aim of pushing clean electricity generated in the western part of the country to growing industrial and urban demand centres in the east. The project is worth approximately ₹68,800 crore (approximately $7.34 billion) and will take about six years to complete. It is a significant step towards establishing the transmission backbone required to power India’s fast-expanding clean energy economy. The corridor will be operated on a 1,150-kilovolt (kV) system, the highest power network in India. This system has the capability to transport significantly more electricity nationwide than the current 765-kV lines.

Connecting west to east and new corridor

India is installing renewable-energy capacity at a record rate, alongside battery storage, in its bid to reach 500 gigawatts of non-fossil power generation by 2030. There are currently over 300 GW of such capacity in the country. With the growth of renewable energy, the task is not just to generate clean energy, but to transport it efficiently from energy sources to increasing energy loads.

To overcome this, the new corridor will allow for the transfer of much higher power levels through fewer transmission lines. The current 765-kV network is significantly less capable of transporting electricity than a 1,150-kV network. This will imply that the same power can be moved with fewer corridors and less land, and transmission losses will also be smaller.

Contrast that with using the existing 765-kV lines, which would require additional transmission corridors and more land to transmit the same volumes of electricity. This means the higher-voltage system can be more land-efficient and cost-effective for delivering clean power over long distances.

The network is being designed at a period when renewable energy generation is growing fast in western states like Rajasthan and electricity demand is rising in the eastern industrial regions like Odisha. This geographical disconnect is particularly significant because ‘clean power’ produced in the west requires an unbroken route to the industrial and urban hubs of the east.

The initial project stage will connect the states of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and West Bengal. It will also link to a 6,000 MW high-voltage transmission grid that transports renewable energy from Rajasthan’s Bhadla solar region. This linkage would help distribute the electricity produced in one of the major solar regions to the eastern demand centres.

The corridor will therefore serve as a backbone for clean-power flow. It will enable electricity to be produced at a distance from large demand centres and delivered to industrial users, cities and other expanding demand centres without the need for an undue increase in the use of traditional transmission lines.

Estimated cost of the project and efficiency

The shift to 1,150 kV is important because the voltage level dictates the capacity of a transmission line. The higher voltage means that more electricity can be moved across the same physical corridor, so fewer parallel lines are required. In practical terms, this can help reduce the strain on land acquisition, which is a constant issue with major infrastructure projects in India.

The project’s estimated cost of nearly ₹68,800 crore is indicative of the scale and complexity of creating a network of this magnitude. The timeline for the corridor to be completed is approximately six years and will likely involve continued planning, coordination and investment from multiple states and power-system stakeholders.

India’s current target of 500 GW of non-fossil power generation by 2030 highlights the magnitude of the transition. The new corridor concept is part of the infrastructure that allows that transition to make sense and become viable, so that extra renewable generation can provide electricity to customers.

The project also underscores the role of transmission in the clean energy transition. There can be no guarantee of clean power without the ability to evacuate and efficiently deliver that power through the grid. The corridor seeks to ease this constraint by establishing a high-capacity connection between western generation centres and eastern demand centres.

One of the main benefits of the proposed 1,150-kV system is that it will carry the same amount of electricity on fewer lines and less land. This is especially significant in a country where land is becoming more expensive and harder to come by for infrastructure projects. Reduced transmission losses are also anticipated. 

Some electricity is lost during the transmission process when it travels long distances. Those losses can be minimised by a higher-voltage network, which increases the efficiency of power transmission from generation to consumption centres. The benefits of the corridor make it more than just a major transmission project. It has been developed to enhance India’s power system efficiency in an era of rapid growth in renewable energy generation and electricity demand.

Conclusion

The high-capacity power corridor is a significant milestone toward a cleaner energy future for India, as the government approves the project. The development of this 1,150-kV system has an estimated cost of nearly ₹68,800 crore, with a 6-year completion target, making it the highest-voltage power network in India. The corridor will interconnect Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and West Bengal in its initial phase, and will also connect with a 6000-megawatt transmission system that will enable renewable energy to be transmitted from the Bhadla solar region in western Rajasthan to eastern industrial and urban demand centres. Being able to move more power over fewer lines, on less land, with less transmission loss, could be critical as India aims to reach 500 GW of non-fossil power capacity by 2030.