A single 1,150 kV circuit has a surge impedance loading of about 5,500 MW, according to CTUIL consultation specifications.
NEW DELHI: India’s National Committee on Transmission on 9 November 2026 cleared a ₹68,816 crore project that would add a 1,150 kV tier above the grid’s 765 kV ceiling. The decision is a recommendation, since the Ministry of Power must still sanction schemes above ₹500 crore. Consequently, neither construction nor bidding has been authorised. The committee’s minutes are not yet public, so the details below draw on Tier-1 reports and earlier consultation records.
What the committee cleared
Reports describe an initial 1,150 kV double-circuit line from Raigarh Kotra in Chhattisgarh through Rourkela in Odisha to Kolaghat in West Bengal. It would pair with a 6,000 MW, ±800 kV HVDC link from Bhadla in Rajasthan. Reported build time is about six years, though a September consultation planned for 60 months. Furthermore, the press route differs from the five-substation first phase in that consultation. The published minutes should settle which holds. Notably, the cost breakdown is also unpublished.
Why go higher
A single 1,150 kV circuit has a surge impedance loading of about 5,500 MW and a terminal transfer capability near 9,500 MVA. Consequently, planners can move more power along one path and conserve right of way compared with parallel 765 kV lines. Meanwhile, the HVDC trunk gives fast, controllable routing of western renewable output before it feeds the AC network. The Central Electricity Authority wrote 1,150 kV provisions into its October 2026 planning manual. India also brings relevant experience. POWERGRID and CPRI built a 1,200 kV test station at Bina in Madhya Pradesh between 2010 and 2013.
Where the power would go
The 2031-32 studies add 12 GW of Rajasthan renewables, about 5.5 GW of Solapur connectivity and 5.2 GW of Chhattisgarh thermal capacity. Reports add that they assume 124 GW of battery storage and 42 GW of pumped storage nationally. In the east, planners modelled potential demand of 6 GW each at Paradeep and Gopalpur for green hydrogen, steel and manufacturing. Moreover, flows would reverse through the day, with storage absorbing power at midday and discharging in the evening. The corridor also supports the National Green Hydrogen Mission’s target of 5 million tonnes a year by 2030. Encouragingly, qualifying projects can claim a 25-year waiver of interstate transmission charges.
A dissent on demand
Not everyone accepts the case. S. R. Narasimhan, an expert member and former GRID-INDIA chairman, recorded a dissent, according to reports. He questioned the assumed 7.64% annual peak-demand growth to 2031-32. He also warned that uncertain hydrogen and ammonia demand could leave the lines lightly loaded outside solar hours, and suggested 765 kV corridors or an eastward HVDC extension instead. The consultation record shows gaps too. No connectivity applications had been filed at Raigarh Kotra-III for the 5.2 GW of modelled thermal capacity by September. Likewise, a secondary report puts modelled corridor loading at 3 to 3.5 GW. Nevertheless, the CEA manual itself acknowledges that stranded assets cannot be ruled out when beneficiaries are uncertain
Stress tests before the tender
Planners have already tested the design. In September, the National Load Despatch Centre simulated the trip of a 4,300 MW radial load at Paradeep. Voltage at Begunia rose to 1,201 kV and Paradeep’s 765 kV bus reached 820 kV. In response, planners replaced static capacitors with STATCOMs built to stay connected through such a trip. They also raised line reactor compensation to 780 MVAr, about 65%, on the Chaibasa line. Furthermore, the committee’s 44th meeting on 29 October asked planners to study dynamic reactive support near Paradeep and Gopalpur. Encouragingly, these checks came before any tender.
What to watch
Several milestones will shape the outcome. First, the published minutes should confirm the decision wording, route and cost split. Second, Ministry sanction and the bidding route, either tariff-based competition or regulated tariff, will set the timeline. Likewise, CPRI’s proposed 1,200 kV test facility and manufacturers’ qualification of 3,000 MVA transformers must fit the schedule. Furthermore, land, forest clearances and monsoon limits on eastern construction will test execution. Markets have noticed. On 13 November the BSE Power index gained 1%, and Siemens Energy and GE Vernova rose up to 5%.
India is planning its grid for the system it expects in 2031, not the one it has today. Encouragingly, the plan has drawn open dissent, stress tests and a manual rewritten for the new voltage class. If demand and storage arrive as modelled, the corridor could carry western sunshine to eastern industry. If they lag, this month’s recorded debate will matter. Ultimately, the Ministry’s sanction will show how the government weighs ambition against risk.
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