ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won orders worth around $71 million from Powergrid Corporation of India Ltd. (PGCIL), India’s national transmission utility, to help strengthen the country’s transmission network.

ABB will supply solutions and a range of power products for substations around the country, including at Chamera in Himachal Pradesh, northern India, where its compact gas-insulated switchgear technology will bring space-saving, higher reliability and safety benefits.

ABB will also support PGCIL in its efforts to strengthen the western grid with new substations to be set up in Pune and Solapur as well as extensions to substations in Parli, Aurangabad and Kolhapur, all in the state of Maharashtra, in western India. Some of the orders were booked at the end of 2007.

“Reliable power supplies are essential for a rapidly growing economy like India’s,” said Peter Leupp, head of ABB’s Power Systems division. “Our latest technology will help PGCIL’s network meet the power infrastructure demands of the future.”

ABB’s scope of supply for Chamera includes the design, supply, erection and commissioning of a new 400/220-kilovolt (kV) gas-insulated substation. This project includes switchgear, power transformers, shunt reactors and an automation system based on the latest global standard, IEC 61850.

For the other projects, ABB’s scope includes design and supply of the substations, 400/220 kV power transformers and instrument transformers, a range of circuit breakers as well as equipment to enable communication and monitoring through the power lines of the transmission network. ABB will also provide control and protection systems, including the latest IEC 61850-compliant automation system.

ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs more than 110,000 people.