Power Grid Corporation of India (POWERGRID) has launched two tenders to select partners for the development of an interstate transmission system (ISTS) project in Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh, India) (Mercom India, 17/03/2026). The tenders constitute a pre-bid tie-up contingent to POWERGRID winning the upstream tender floated by REC Power Development Consultancy Ltd. (RECPDCL) on the project to evacuate 5 GW of power from green hydrogen/green ammonia projects.
POWERGRID’s tenders correspond to the development of two segments of the overall project. The first tender covers the construction of the Pendurthi–Srikakulam 765 kV HVDC transmission line, with 330 MVAr switchable line reactors, and the line-in-line-out (LILO) of the Kalpakka–Maradam 400 kV HVDC line at Pendurthi. The second tender covers the setup of establishment of the Khammam-II – Warangal New 765 kV HVDC line: the Khammam-II – Pendurthi 765 kV DC line with 330 MVAr switchable line reactors, and the Khammam-II – Khammam 400 kV (quad) DC line.
Bidders must not participate on RECPDCL’s tender and must complete the project within 27 months under a build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) model. The tender closes on 30 March 2026.