Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL) has been entrusted with augmenting capacity at the Thrissur VSC HVDC station in Kerala under the regulated tariff mechanism (RTM) route.

The National Committee on Transmission (NCT) has cleared the proposal, titled “Augmentation of 1×500 MVA, 400/220kV ICT (3rd) at Thrissur VSC HVDC Station in Kerala.” The scheme, costing Rs 170 crore, carries a gestation period of 24 months from the date of project allocation by Central Transmission Utility of India (CTUIL). The initiative comes as Kerala’s grid demand peaked at 6,000 MW in May 2024, with heavy loading on interconnecting transformers (ICTs) at Kozhikode and Thrissur. NCT noted that ICTs at several substations were not fulfilling the “N-1” contingency norm.

To address this, a third 500 MVA ICT will be installed, along with two 220kV line bays and expansion of the 220kV GIS hall for six additional bays. Thrissur forms part of the ±320kV, 2000 MW Pugalur–Thrissur HVDC link, itself an extension of the ±800kV, 6000 MW Raigarh–Pugalur corridor.