Power Grid Corporation of India’s (POWERGRID) wholly owned subsidiary, POWERGRID Bhadla Sikar Transmission, has successfully commissioned an inter-state transmission system (ISTS) in Rajasthan to evacuate 8.1 GW of power from Solar Energy Zones under Phase II – Part E.

The transmission system has been fully commissioned with effect from January 14, 2026, and the notification for the commercial operation was received on January 16, 2026.

POWERGRID Bhadla Sikar Transmission was acquired by Power Grid Corporation of India on March 28, 2023, under tariff-based competitive bidding from PFC Consulting.  The transmission system comprises the establishment of a 765 kV D/C transmission line from Bhadla-II to Sikar-II, along with associated substation extension works in Rajasthan.

The transmission project scope includes:

• Establishing the Bhadla II PS–Sikar-II 765 kV double-circuit line (Line-2), two 765 kV line bays each at Bhadla II and Sikar-II for the Bhadla II PS–Sikar-II 765 kV D/C line.
• At the Sikar-II end, develop one 330 MVAr switchable line reactor per circuit, including two units of 330 MVAr and 765 kV reactors, and two units of 765 kV reactor switching equipment.
• At the Bhadla II end, implement one 240 MVAr switchable line reactor per circuit, including two units of 240 MVAr, 765 kV reactors, and two units of 765 kV reactor switching equipment.

The transmission system is an integral link in Rajasthan’s renewable energy evacuation network. The project’s commissioning comes at a time when the state has been facing significant curtailment of solar and wind power, resulting in revenue losses for renewable energy developers and leaving large volumes of green power unutilised.

According to Grid-India’s Operational Feedback on Transmission Constraints (April–June 2025) report, delays of more than 18 months in the commissioning of the transmission system strengthening program had severely constrained the evacuation of renewable energy from solar-rich regions of Rajasthan. The Phase II transmission projects—covering Parts E, G, and G1—were originally scheduled for completion in November 2023, but the delay stalled the evacuation of a substantial renewable capacity.

Earlier, POWERGRID had commissioned the 765 kV double-circuit Khetri–Narela ISTS project, part of the larger 8.1 GW transmission infrastructure to evacuate solar power from Rajasthan to Delhi and Northern India.

Recently, POWERGRID won REC Power Development and Consultancy’s (RECPDCL) auction to establish an ISTS project to integrate 250 MW of renewable energy at Davanagere and 2.75 GW at Bellary in Karnataka. The projects must be completed within 24 months.

Last month, POWERGRID Khavda II-B Transmission, a wholly owned subsidiary of POWERGRID, commissioned an ISTS project to evacuate 4.5 GW of renewable energy from the Khavda pooling station in the Kutch district of Gujarat, under Phase-II, Part-B.