BHEL achieves significant breakthrough with first commercial order for indigenously developed first-of-its-kind in the world Controlled Shunt Reactor

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)’s in-house developments have once again got commercial recognition in the form of the first order, secured by the company’s Transmission Business Group, for an indigenously-developed device for use in high-voltage (400 kV) transmission lines.

The first-of-its-kind in the world Controlled Shunt Reactor (CSR) has been developed by BHEL in-house. The device, which operates automatically, depending on system requirement in less than 10 milliseconds, improves power transfer capability of transmission lines and reduces system losses, besides improving system stability in high-voltage transmission lines. This development has opened a new line of business for BHEL for meeting export and domestic requirement in high-voltage transmission systems.

BHEL has received the first commercial order for supply, erection, testing and commissioning of an 80 MVAR, 400 kV Controlled Shunt Reactor at Karad Substation on Karad - Lonikand line on turnkey basis from Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company Limited. The contract shall be completed in a schedule of 18 months. The reactor transformer for the CSR shall be manufactured at BHEL’s Bhopal plant while the company’s Electronics Division, Bangalore, will supply the control equipment.

The first 50 MVAR, 400 kV CSR, commissioned at a 400 kV substation at Itarsi on the Itarsi-Jabalpur transmission line in Madhya Pradesh successfully completed trial operation, providing impetus to the establishment of the new technology.

Since CSRs can be taken out of the circuit in loaded line conditions, 25-30% more power can be transmitted over the line through improvement in voltage profile as compared to a fixed shunt reactor configuration.