2020 Paris Session

http : //www.cigre.org
Study Committee B2
PS3: RESOURCES AND DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

Design & Construction of India’s First Multi-Pole

+/-320kV HVDC transmission line

Chandrakant * A K Vyas Anish Anand* R.N.Singh R.K.Chauhan

Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd., New Delhi
INDIA
*chandra.kant@powergridindia.com *anish@powergridindia.com

With fast pace expansion of power generation & transmission infrastructure over the past few
decades, Indian power system has now developed into a gigantic network of more than 4 lakh
circuit km of 220kV & above voltage level transmission lines and total Installed Generation
Capacity of more than 350GW. POWER GRID CO. OF INDIA LTD. (POWERGRID) is the
Central Transmission Utility of the country and presently owns and operates more than 1.5
lakh circuit kms of transmission lines and 242 substations. POWERGRID has been
consistently ranked as the Fastest Growing Electric Utility in Asia since past five years. Such
impressive growth in transmission infrastructure could not have been achieved without due
consideration to environmental protection and conservation of Right-of-Way. Adoption of
EHV and UHV voltage levels for AC & DC transmission lines, Development of High Surge
Impedance lines, Use of high performance conductors, Deployment of ingenuous tower
designs viz. Compact Delta Configurations, Multi-Circuit Structures, Narrow base Towers &
Monopoles have been the key to minimizing land use of transmission lines and achieving
sustainable development in the country.

+/-800kV HVDC Raigarh-Pugalur transmission corridor alongwith its downstream +/-320 kV

HVDC transmission system is the one of the latest efforts of POWERGRID towards
Conservation of Right-of-Way and Sustainable Development of Transmission Lines in the
country. +/-800kV HVDC Raigarh-Pugalur transmission line is the 2 nd longest transmission
line of India and is being constructed to carry 6000 MW of power from Raigarh, Chhattisgarh
(Western India) to Pugalur, Tamil Nadu (South India). For further downstream delivery of
power to the southern state of Kerala, the 1 st VSC based +/-320 kV HVDC transmission
system of the country is being constructed between Pugalur, Tamil Nadu and North Trichur,
Kerala. The VSC based +/-320 kV HVDC transmission system consisting of two symmetric
monopoles shall deliver 2000MW of power through a narrow corridor.

1
Due to severe ROW constraints in the area, special consideration in deciding configuration &
dimensions of transmission line towers for +/-320 kV HVDC line was necessitated. For
minimizing land use of transmission lines, all four poles of the +/-320 kV HVDC
transmission system have been accommodated on the same structure, thereby developing the
1st Multi-pole HVDC overhead line of the country. Also for further reduction in corridor
requirement for the multi-pole overhead line, special narrow base towers with sleek body
have been developed. Further, single raft foundation for all the four legs of the tower has been
adopted for these narrow base structures. It may be mentioned that for transmission of 2000-
2500MW power, conventionally +/-500kV HVDC or 765kV S/C lines having ROW
requirement of 52 m and 64 m are built. By accommodating all four pole conductors on
narrow-base multi-pole towers having base width of approx. 6 m, ROW requirement of +/-
320kV HVDC line has been reduced to mere 44 m which is even less than that of 400 kV D/C
lines having power transfer capability in the range of 1000-1500 MW. Some portion of the
transmission line having acute space constraints is also being planned to be constructed with
monopole structures and UG cables.

Design and development of the 1st Multi-pole HVDC overhead line has been carried out based
on intelligible and methodical studies for assessment of air-gap/ clearance requirements,
conductor bundle selection and finalizing optimum positioning/ placement of pole conductors
so as to meet the electric field & interference level requirements stipulated by International
guidelines within a narrow corridor. Special considerations have also been given to design of
insulator strings so as to nullify the effect of increased insulator length (for meeting creepage
distance requirements corresponding to very–heavy pollution level) on Right-of-Way
requirements.

The paper describes in details, the studies carried out for accommodating all the four poles on
the same structure and design aspects of narrow base towers & associated raft foundations of
India’s first Multi-Pole 320kV HVDC transmission line.