Power evacuation from Mundra UMPP: PGCIL in race against time

The Ministry of Power has expressed the apprehension that the 400 kV transmission system proposed to evacuate power from the 4000 MW Mundra UMPP may not be ready on time. The ministry took this view over the course of a recent meeting, due to the high likelihood of the first unit of the power project, being executed by Tata Power in Gujarat, being commissioned way ahead of schedule, in June 2011. 

• Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL), the agency responsible for the transmission facilities, on the other hand, has asserted that all components of the proposed network would be ready in synchronization with the power project. Thus, power evacuation would not be an issue.
•  As of now, however, the CEA estimates that the first leg of the transmission system, the 764 Ckm Mundra-Bachchau-Ranchodpura D/C line, will not be commissioned before July 2011. It appears, consequently, that PGCIL is in a race against time to ensure that the substantial amount of generation assets of the power project do not idle.