DURGAPUR, West Bengal — REC Power Development and Consultancy Limited (RECPDCL), a wholly owned subsidiary of REC Limited under the Ministry of Power, on 16 October handed over the project-specific Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) Nawada Durgapur Power Transmission Limited to the successful bidder, M/s Shivalaya Construction Limited, for development of the interstate transmission project.
Project scope and handover
The SPV transfer follows a Tariff-Based Competitive Bidding (TBCB) process coordinated by RECPDCL for the inter-state transmission scheme titled "ERES-47: Nawada – Durgapur – Jeerat (New) 765kV corridor". The project will be executed on a Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) basis. RECPDCL's HoD (CS), Rajkumar Sonkar, formally handed over the SPV to Rajesh Kumar Singh, Head (Power and Transmission) of Shivalaya Construction Limited, in the presence of senior officials from RECPDCL, Shivalaya and Central Transmission Utility of India Limited (CTU).
"ERES-47: Nawada – Durgapur – Jeerat (New) 765kV corridor"
The transmission scheme broadly envisages the following major elements:
- Establishment of a new 765/400/220 kV substation at Nawada in Bihar;
- Construction of a new 765 kV switching station at Durgapur in West Bengal;
- 765 kV double-circuit (D/c) transmission line from Nawada to Durgapur, approximately 265 km in length;
- 765 kV D/c line from Durgapur to Jeerat (listed as Jeerut in the handover note), approximately 145 km in length;
- Associated works linked to the corridor, as required for inter-state connectivity and system integration.
Timeline and delivery
According to the handover documentation cited by RECPDCL, the project is scheduled for implementation by 31 March 2029. No additional commissioning phasing or interim milestones were specified in the handover note released on 16 October.
| Component | Specification |
|---|---|
| New substation (Nawada) | 765/400/220 kV |
| Switching station (Durgapur) | 765 kV |
| Nawada – Durgapur line | 765 kV D/c, ~265 km |
| Durgapur – Jeerat line | 765 kV D/c, ~145 km |
| Implementation deadline | 31.03.2029 |
Local significance
The project places Durgapur on a planned 765 kV interstate corridor. For this region of eastern India, such high-voltage corridors are designed to strengthen bulk power transfer capability across states and to improve transmission reliability for load centres and industry. The explicit provision of a 765 kV switching station at Durgapur highlights the town's role as a node in the planned grid architecture for the eastern region.
The handover was effected following completion of the competitive-bid selection process administered by RECPDCL, the designated Bid Process Coordinator. Shivalaya Construction Limited emerged as the successful bidder and will now assume project responsibilities under the BOOT framework until transfer.
What was reported
The information regarding the bid process outcome, handover ceremony, project scope and implementation timeline was provided in the RECPDCL handover announcement shared on 16 October. The handover event involved officials from RECPDCL, Shivalaya Construction Limited and the Central Transmission Utility of India Limited, and recorded the formal transfer from Rajkumar Sonkar (HoD (CS), RECPDCL) to Rajesh Kumar Singh (Head, Power and Transmission, Shivalaya Construction Ltd).
Further project-level details such as financing structure, right-of-way acquisition, environmental clearances and detailed construction phasing were not included in the handover note. Interested stakeholders and local authorities in West Bengal and Paschim Bardhaman district will monitor subsequent filings and approvals as the SPV moves into the execution phase.
Given Durgapur's importance as an eastern industrial and power-transmission node, the arrival of a 765 kV switching station under ERES-47 is likely to attract continued attention from utilities, industry and regional planners as implementation progresses toward the March 2029 target.
