Reliance Power Transmission for 1,500 km Power link

Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (RADAG) company Reliance Power Transmission (RPTL), a whollyowned subsidiary of Reliance Infrastructure, will invest nearly Rs 1,800 crore in setting up a 1,500-km transmission line that will pass through Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka. The project will help wheel surplus power from eastern states to the western region. PowerGrid Corp will also set up another network from Madhya Pradesh that will link RPTL’s network from Madhya Pradesh to the eastern grid. Confirming the development, a senior RPTL official said: “We will invest nearly Rs 1,800 crore in the project that will set up a 1,500-km of power transmission lines. The project will be funded on a 75:25 debt equity ratio and financial closure is expected in a couple of months.” The project will be executed by the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) division of Reliance Infrastructure and is expected to be complete by 2010. “We expect to start work on the project in six months by when we will have received all necessary clearances,” he said. With this, RPTL will be the first private transmission utility to build these first-ever 100% privately-owned interstate transmission projects. The projects, once completed and commissioned successfully, will benefit western region constituents, including Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution, Madhya Pradesh Power Trading, Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam, Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution (CSPDCL), Madhya Pradesh Audyogik Kendra Vikas Nigam (MPAKVNL), Electricity Department of Goa, Administration of Daman & Diu and the Electricity Department of Dadra & Nagar Haveli.