Uttar Pradesh has emerged as the leading state in terms of the addition of transmission lines by state transmission utilities in FY24, statistics released by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) suggest.

In FY24, state utility Uttar Pradesh Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (UPPTCL) added 1,460 ckm of transmission lines of 220kV or above. This was much ahead of the achievement by any other state utility. Second-ranking utility Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation Ltd (GETCO) ended FY24 with the addition of 898 ckm, state power department officials here on Thursday said.

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Put together, state power utilities added 6,993 ckm of transmission lines in FY24, which represented about 64 per cent of the targeted 11,002 ckm. Most of the additions took place in the 220kV category.

UPPTCL accounted for just over 20 per cent of the total addition by the state sector. Second-ranking Gujarat had a share of 13 per cent in this total addition. Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar – in that order – followed Gujarat.

An important line that UPPTCL commissioned in FY24 was the 220kV double-circuit line, running 174 ckm from UPPTCL’s Maharajgang substation to PGCIL’s 400kV Gorakhpur substation, the officials added.

Meanwhile, UPPTCL is likely to soon commission an important 400kV line. This double-circuit line, spanning 478 ckm, runs from Aligarh to Shamli. It was originally slated for commissioning by July 2023 (in FY24). It is learnt that all the 737 towers en route have been erected and stringing was completed to the extent of nearly 90 per cent, as of end-March 2024.

UPPTCL enjoyed the same distinction in FY23 when it added 1,447 ckm of transmission lines – the highest by any state utility – and surpassed the target of 1,036 ckm.

That year, Bihar was placed second with Bihar State Power Transmission Company Ltd (BSPTCL) commissioning 914 ckm, exceeding the targeted 829 ckm. Karnataka Power Transmission ranked third with an achievement of 617 ckm. In FY23, the state sector had added 6,816 ckm of transmission lines, around 75 per cent of which was in the 220kV category.