Crompton Greaves wins substation contract

Crompton Greaves 765/400 kV Substation will design, engineer, supply and commission UPPTCL's highest voltage grid node in India, integrating 765 kV bays, 400 kV bays, power transformers, shunt reactors, and automation for reliable transmission.

Power sector company Crompton Greaves Limited has won a $66 million contract to supply a high-voltage substation at Unnao in Uttar Pradesh to the Uttar Pradesh Power Transmission Corporation Limited (UPPTCL).

The contract calls for Crompton Greaves to complete all phases of construction for the 765/400 kilovolts (kV) substation, which will operate at the highest system voltage for electricity transmission in India, aligning with an HV substation in India announced by Alstom Grid recently.

UPPTCL is the first state electricity utility to operate at the high voltage levels.

Crompton Greaves will design, engineer, manufacture, supply, erect, test and commission the substation at a scheduled commissioned date of July next year, similar to a 2 GW substation in the UK milestone reported recently. The equipment will include eight bays of 765 kV and two bays of 400 kV equipment, together with a mixture of 765/400 kV single-phase power transformers, shunt reactors, and reactors.

The Indian government has set an ambitious target of increasing the nation's electricity generating capacity to 200,000 MW by 2012, a substantial increase from the 150,000 MW capacity recorded in July 2009. The target of an extra 50,000 MW of generating capacity also will lead to a demand for new and upgraded power transmission systems, a trend mirrored by China UHV investments aimed at expanding ultra-high-voltage transmission. Two new programs, the Accelerated Power Development Reform Program (APDRP) and the Accelerated Rural Electrification Program (AREP) will ensure the growth in demand for distribution transformers.

Crompton Greaves has made several strategic acquisitions in the last few years and strengthened its position in the global marketplace. This has enabled the company to compete globally with major companies in the transmission and distribution sector such as the global power company Areva S.A. and ABB Group, including projects like an ABB circuit breaker at record voltage levels worldwide.

In May 2005, Crompton Greaves acquired the Pauwels Group, which is a world leader in the transformer business with facilities in several countries, including the United States, Canada, Ireland and Belgium. Just more than a year later, in October 2006, the company acquired the Hungary-based transformer specialist company Ganz Transelektro Electric Company Limited.

Two years later, in May 2008, Crompton Greaves acquired Microsol Holdings Limited, a specialist in the supply and automation of substation and distribution systems. With these acquisitions, Crompton Greaves has placed itself in a strong position to capitalize on the growing high-voltage substation market, where million-volt switchgear is setting new benchmarks today.

High voltage transmission offers a number of advantages over traditionally used low voltages. By operating at higher voltages, transmission systems can reduce resources required for the distribution networks: a single-circuit 765-kV line is capable of carrying as much power as three single circuit 500-kV lines, thus reducing the footprint required for transmission lines.

As voltages increase in transmission circuits, power losses decrease significantly. By using higher voltages, current is reduced, allowing power to be carried longer distances, as seen in the Brazil long-distance link implemented by ABB recently. By reducing power losses, large savings can be made in fuel requirements for power stations and consequent reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, while superconducting cables offer another path to further curb grid losses.

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