ABB Ltd. (ABB) received an order from Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. to provide an ultrahigh-voltage direct current (UHVDC) transmission system worth more than $900 million. This link will cover a distance of 1,700 kilometers to supply hydropower from northeast India, a mountainous region with many hydropower resources, to the populated area of Agra.
From the several hydropower stations electricity will be collected through pooling points, planned to be created in the region, and will be transmitted via power superhighways to major urban load centers. The load centers are located thousands of kilometers away from hydropower resources scattered over the vast northeast region.
The UHVDC link will operate at 800 kilovolts (kV) and will have a conversion capacity of megawatts (MW), the highest ever built. The system will supply electricity to 90 million people when it operates at its full capacity.
The world’s first multi-terminal ultrahigh-voltage link will have three converter stations, two “sending” stations and one “receiving” station in Agra. Using of a multi-terminal solution in place of deploying separate power links will reduce cost considerably.
The North-East Agra transmission projectwill be implemented by ABB in compliance with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL). The remaining project worth more than $1.1 billion will be delivered by BHEL, a leading Indian government-owned power company. The system is scheduled to be in operation in 2015.
Based in Zurich (Switzerland), ABB Ltd. is a global provider of power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance, while lowering environmental impact. The company serves electric, gas, and water utilities, as well as industrial and commercial customers, with a broad range of products, systems, and services for power transmission, distribution, and power plant automation. The company operates in approximately 100 countries, structuring its global organization into five regions: Europe, Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. A major competitor of ABB Ltd. is Siemens AG (SI).
Currently, we are maintaining a Zacks #3 Rank (short-term Hold recommendation) on ABB Ltd.
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