India to have a cutting-edge power transmission system

The nation will soon have a cutting-edge, intelligent power transmission system.

Features like real-time grid monitoring and automation, improved situational assessment, the ability to increase the proportion of renewable energy sources in the power mix, improved use of transmission capacity, greater resilience against cyberattacks and natural disasters, centralised and data-driven decision-making, and a reduction in forced outages owing to self-correcting systems.

The report of a task force established by the Power Ministry in 2021 and presided over by CMD, POWERGRID, made additional recommendations for methods to modernise the transmission sector and make it smart and future-ready. Representatives from State Transmission Utilities, the Central Electricity Authority, the Central Transmission Utilities, MeiTY, IIT Kanpur, NSGPMU, and EPTA were among the Task Force’s additional members.

The government has approved the committee’s recommendations following discussions presided over by Union Power & NRE Minister R. K. Singh. A modern transmission system is essential for realising the government’s ambition of giving the public access to reliable, cheap power around the clock while simultaneously achieving sustainability goals, the Minister stressed during the meeting. The current situation calls for a fully automated, digitally controlled, quick-response grid that is resilient to cyberattacks and natural calamities.

To safeguard the grid and avoid more severe outages, a system should ensure the isolation of particular locations in the event of any contingency. The minister expressed gratitude to the Task Force for its efforts and instructed the CEA to create the standards and guidelines required for the adoption of the chosen technological solutions as well as benchmark performance standards in order to create a strong and contemporary transmission network for the nation.

In its report, the Task Force made a number of technological and digital recommendations that can be used to modernise the state transmission systems. These suggestions have been grouped under the headings of workforce upskilling, smart and future-ready transmission systems, application of new technology in construction and supervision, operations and management, and modernisation of the current transmission system.

The Task Force has recommended several technologies, including centralised remote monitoring, operation of substations using SCADA, flexible AC transmission devices (FACTs), dynamic line loading systems (DLL), wide area measurement systems (WAMS) using PMUs and data analytics, hybrid AC/HVDC systems, predictive maintenance techniques using AI/ML algorithms, HTLS conductors, process bus-based protection automation and control GIS/hybrid substations, cyber security, energy storage systems, and drones and remote operations.

Robot adoption is anticipated to reduce human involvement, lower dangers to human life, and speed up building and maintenance while maintaining precision. Based on the performance of international transmission utilities, the Task Force also suggested benchmarks for voltage regulation and transmission network availability.