The Ministry of Power has approved a request from Gadag II-A Transmission (a wholly-owned subsidiary of ReNew Transmission Ventures) to set up overhead transmission lines for 1,500 MW of solar projects in Gadag, Karnataka.

The transmission lines will be set up under the ‘Transmission Plan for Solar Energy Zone in Gadag (1,500 MW), Part A-Phase II.’

The approval for the overhead lines has been granted for 25 years.

The program covers the 400 kV DC transmission line between the Gadag and Koppal pooling stations.

The transmission lines will pass through 55 villages in Gadag and Koppal districts.

Gadag II-A Transmission will have to seek the consent of the local bodies, railways, national highways, and state highways before the erection of proposed lines.

The company will have to follow regulations and codes of the appropriate commission regarding transmission, operation & maintenance, and open access framed under the Electricity Act, 2003.

The company will operate the lines after the approval of the electrical inspector and the chief electrical inspector of the central government.

Further, Gadag II-A Transmission will have to submit the requisite clearances to Central Electricity Authority after obtaining the same from authorities like civil aviation and defense at the time of electrical inspection.

Gadag II-A Transmission had published a notice for the transmission program in local newspapers on December 21, 2022, and in the Gazette of India for the general public to seek feedback on the proposed transmission route within 60 days from the publication date.

Subsequently, the company had submitted an affidavit declaring that it had received no objection from the public.

In February this year, the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission granted a transmission license to Gadag II-A Transmission to establish a transmission system for the solar energy zone in Gadag.

Earlier, Power Grid Corporation of India had invited bids for the transmission line package for the Gadag-Koppal 400 kV DC line, the extension of the 400 kV Gadag power station, and the extension of 400 kV Koppal power station associated with the transmission program for the solar energy zone in Gadag.