The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $250 million loan for a power transmission improvement project in India.

The project is being carried out by PowerGrid. The project will strengthen PowerGrid’s transmission systems to improve system reliability and allow efficient utilisation of existing and planned power plants. The project includes the following components:

  • 400 V, 220 kV and 132 kV transmission system upgrading and expansion.
  • Construction of 400 V and 220 kV transmission systems to evacuate the power from projects under the central power entities and IPPs.

    Total cost of the project will be $600 million, made up of $250 million from the ADB, $125 million from commercial borrowing, $100 million from domestic borrowing, and $125 million contributed by PowerGrid.

    In a separate loan, the ADB is making $100 million available for a transmission project in the Philippines, to be executed by the National Power Corporation. The project includes the following:

  • Leyte-Mindanao interconnection. This is a 350 kV HVDC transmission line linking the geothermal fields in Leyte to Mindanao. The line will have a capacity of 500 MWe.
  • Luzon transmission line upgrading. This includes an upgrading of the 230 kV AC transmission network in northern and southern Luzon to facilitate the transfer of power from the planned IPPs.
  • Visayas and Mindanao substation expansion. Installation of an additional power transformer, series reactors and circuit breakers at the existing substations.
  • Power trading and pooling system.

    The total cost of this Philippine project will be $630 million. This sum will be made up by $100 million from ADB, financing worth $450 million, and NPC will contribute the remaining $80 million.