The state-owned Power Grid Corporation of India (Powergrid) has commissioned the first phase of the 6,000 MW Raigarh Pugalur high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission project in India. The first phase of the project comprises a 1,765 km, 800 kV HVDC transmission line between Raigarh (Chhattisgarh, central India) and Pugalur (Tamil Nadu, southern India), with a transmission capacity of 1.5 GW.
In January 2017, PowerGrid awarded ABB a US$640m contract to deliver the project, in partnership with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), which received US$200m. The transmission line was, at first, expected to be completed in 2019. The project is expected to be fully operational in 2020-2021. The two-way link integrates thermal and wind energy for transmission of power to high consumption centres. It will be expanded with a 400 kV HVDC line between Pugalur and Arasur.