Ertcc Powertel Report

POWER GRID CORPORATION OF INDIA LIMITED
(A Government of India Enterprise)

Summer Internship/Training Report
(May 16, 2014 – June 14, 2014)
Kushilov Chowdhury
M. Tech (Avionics)
Amity Institute of Space Science and Technology,
Amity University,
Sector 125, Noida - 201313, Uttar Pradesh.
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Power-Grid, ERTCC Summer Training/Internship Report Kushilov Chowdhury| Amity University
ABSTRACT
The Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID), is an Indian state-owned

electric utilities company headquartered in Gurgaon, India. POWERGRID transmits about
50% of the total power generated in India on its transmission network. Its subsidiary company,
Power System Operation Corporation Limited (POSOCO) handles power management for
Power Grid. POWERGRID also operates a telecom business under the name POWERTEL.
The Project is restricted to POWERTEL the telecom company of Power Grid. The Project
aims to Study the Procedures and Methods along with the Instruments utilised in the industry
for Data Transmission and Communication. A basic knowledge of the System Operations for
Grid Management and Maintenance along with the understanding of the National Grid has
been covered in this project.
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Table of Contents
Serial Title Page No.
No.
1 Introduction 4
2 History 5
3 Vision 6
4 Mission 6
5 Objective 7
6 Quality 8
7 Work 9
8 POWERGRID- “ Diversification into Telecom Business” 15
9 Tele-Communications Equipments 20
10 Digital Transmission Systems 23
11 Optical Ground Wire 24
12 Transmission Line with Earth Wire 25
13 Construction 26
14 Types of Optic Fibre Cables 27
15 Application 28
16 Types of Fibre Connectors 29
17 Advantages of Optic Fibre Technology 30
18 Technology Deployed 30
19 Installation 31
20 Trouble-Shooting and Maintenance 32
21 Network Management System (NMS) 33
22 Marketing 34
23 Ongoing & Upcoming Projects 36
24 Contracts and Services 40
25 Conclusion 41
26 Bibliography 42
27 Acknowledgements 43
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INTRODUCTION
India is in dire need for spread of information technology in the country. Telecom
Infrastructure available in the country is very limited. The unplanned construction of cities,
high ways etc., it is not possible for any telecom infrastructure provider to maintain the
underground Optical fibres.
The best option is to run fibre over POWER TRANSMISSION towers along the Power lines.
This is a very robust, rodent free, maintenance free and vandalism proof method and it
overcomes all the drawbacks of underground fibres.
Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. (A Govt. Of India Enterprise) has adopted this
technology successfully. It has replaced its old earth wire by Optical Ground Wire (OPGW)
and presently, it’s the best and most reliable Telecom infrastructure provider in India.
POWER GRID CORPORATION OF INDIA LIMITED (POWERGRID), the Central
Transmission Utility (CTU), is engaged in Bulk Power transmission. Its responsibilities
include planning, coordination, supervision and control over Interstate transmission system
and operation of National & Regional Power Grids.
The Company owns and operates about 1, 01,334 ckt kms of transmission lines at 800/765kV,
400kV, 220kV & 132kV EHVAC & +500kV HVDC levels and 168 substations with
transformation capacity of about 1, 64,813 MVA as on 31st May 2013. This gigantic
transmission network, spread over length and breadth of the country, is consistently
maintained at an availability of over 99%.
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HISTORY
In 1980, the Raj Adhyaksha Committee on Power Sector Reforms submitted its report to the
Government of India suggesting that extensive reforms were needed in the Indian power
sector. In 1981, the Government of India took a policy decision to form a National Power Grid,
which would pave the way for the integrated operation of the central and regional transmission
systems.
In October 23, 1989 under the Companies Act, 1956, the National Power Transmission
Corporation Limited was formed, and assigned the responsibility of planning, executing,
owning, operating and maintaining the high voltage transmission systems in the country. In
October 1992, the National Power Transmission Corporations name was changed to Power
Grid Corporation of India Limited, as we know of it today.
POWERGRID was incorporated in 1989 and based on its impeccable performance, Govt. Of
India categorised it as the Miniratna Category–I PSU w.e.f. Oct’98. Further, recognizing the
role of POWERGRID in the overall development of Indian power sector and its consistent
performance as per benchmark parameters stipulated by Department of Public Enterprise
(DPE) “Navratna status” was conferred to POWERGRID w.e.f. 1st May, 2008.
POWERGRID was listed on Indian Bourses in Sept 2007 and the Company came with Follow
on Public offer in November 2010. Presently Govt. of India holding is 69.42% and the balance
30.58% is held by Institutional Investors and public.
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VISION
World Class, Integrated, Global Transmission Company with Dominant Leadership in
Emerging Power Markets Ensuring Reliability, Safety and Economy.
MISSION
We will become a Global Transmission Company with Dominant Leadership in Emerging

Power Markets with World Class Capabilities by:
World Class: Setting superior standards in capital project management and operations for the
industry and ourselves
Global: Leveraging capabilities to consistently generate maximum value for all stakeholders
in India and in emerging and growing economies.
Inspiring, nurturing and empowering the next generation of professionals.
Achieving continuous improvements through innovation and state of the art technology.
Committing to highest standards in health, safety, security and environment
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OBJECTIVE
The Corporation has set following objectives in line with its mission and its status as Central
Transmission Utility to:
 Undertake transmission of electric power through Inter-State Transmission System.
 Discharge all functions of planning and coordination to Inter-State Transmission System
with-
o State Transmission Utilities
o Central & State Government
o Generating Companies
o Regional Power Committees
o Authorities & Licensees
 Any other person notified by the Central Government in this behalf.
 To ensure development of an efficient, coordinated and economical system of inter-state
transmission lines for smooth flow of electricity from generating stations to the load
centres.
 Efficient Operation and Maintenance of Transmission Systems.
 Restoring power in quickest possible time in the event of any natural disasters like super-
cyclone, flood etc. through deployment of Emergency Restoration Systems.
 Provide consultancy services at national and international levels in transmission sector
based on the in-house expertise developed by the organization.
 Participate in long distance Trunk Telecommunication business ventures.
 Ensure principles of Reliability, Security and Economy matched with the rising / desirable
expectation of a cleaner, safer, healthier Environment of people, both affected and
benefited by its activities.
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QUALITY
POWERGRID is playing a strategic role in Indian Power Sector development by establishing

& maintaining the power transmission infrastructure which carries about half of the power
generated in the country. POWERGRID has been instrumental in providing and managing a
smooth, efficient and reliable grid operation in the country. Since 2009, the Grid Management
and operation has been entrusted to Power System and Operation Corporation limited
(POSOCO, a complete subsidiary of POWERGRID).
POWERGRID is committed to Environment preservation and sustainable development.
Though transmission projects are non-polluting, the Company has developed a detailed
corporate strategy document - “Environmental and Social Policy and Procedures (ESPP)” in
1998 and has updated it over time through wide consultations with social bodies, local
communities, Govt. agencies to keep pace with the best International standards. The policy
outlines the Company’s approach and lays out management procedures and protocols to deal
with environment and social issues, relating to transmission projects, thus keeping its
commitment to the environment. The policy and the initiatives taken by the Company for
sustainable development of transmission system have been applauded by the multilateral
funding agencies like The World Bank & ADB like all its other projects across the country.
The Company has also been pro-active in bringing out the first ‘Sustainability Report’ in
power sector, for measuring, disclosing and being accountable to internal and external
stakeholders. This has paved way for promoting excellence in organizational performance and
towards achieving sustainable development.
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WORK
POWERGRID has planned to create a strong and vibrant National Grid in the country in a
phased manner ensuring optimum utilization of generating resources, conserving eco-sensitive
right of way and accommodating uncertainty of generation plants. Strengthening of National
Grid is planned in a phased manner through consolidation of inter-regional connection
framework, to support the expected generation capacity programme of about 88,000 MW
during the XII Plan.
The XI Plan, puts the Inter-regional power transfer capacity of National Grid close to 28,000
MW. The Four power regions of the country, North-Eastern, Eastern, Western and Northern
operate as one synchronous grid (same frequency). The Southern Regional grid is connected
to this synchronous grid via HVDC links.
The Indian Power system is divided into five regional grids, for planning and operational
purposes. The establishment of National Grid by integration of regional grids, was
conceptualised in early nineties. The integration of regional grids which began with
asynchronous HVDC back-to-back inter-regional links facilitated limited exchange of
regulated power and was subsequently updated to high capacity synchronous links between
the regions.
Initially, inter-regional links were planned for exchange of operational surpluses amongst the
regions. However, when the planning philosophy had changed from Regional self-sufficiency
to National basis, the Inter-regional links were planned associated with the generation projects
that had beneficiaries across the regional boundaries.
By the end of 11th plan the country had total inter-regional transmission capacity close to
28,000 MW which was enhanced to about 65000 MW at the end of XII plan.
Synchronisation of all regional grids will help in optimal utilization of scarce natural resources
by transfer of Power from Resource centric regions to Load centric regions. Further, this shall
pave way for establishment of vibrant Electricity market facilitating the trade of power across
regions. One Nation One Grid shall synchronously connect all the regional grids with one
national frequency.
The Evolution of National Grid
 Grid management on regional basis started in sixties.
 Initially, the State grids were inter-connected and India was divided into 5 regions
Northern, Eastern, Western, North Eastern and Southern region.
 In October 1991 North Eastern and Eastern grids were connected.
 In March 2003 WR and ER-NER were interconnected.
 August 2006 North and East grids were interconnected.
Presently 4 regional grids Northern, Eastern, Western and North Eastern grids are
synchronously connected forming a central grid operating at one frequency.
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Grid Management
In 1994, the Government, entrusted Power-Grid with the additional responsibility of
controlling the existing Load Despatch Centres of India. The idea was to improve Grid
management and Operation. Power-Grid modernised, all the Regional Load Dispatch Centres
(RLDCs) by implementing the best Unified Load Despatch & Communication (ULDC)
scheme for improving the efficiency and management of Grid operations. Modernization of
RLDCs contributed in bringing quality and economy in power system operation besides
improving data availability, visibility and transparency and also resulted in better Grid
Management and reliable grid operation. Taking a step further, for overall co-ordination,
National Load Despatch Centre (NLDC) was established in 2009. As per the Govt. of India
directive, a separate company ‘Power System Operation Corporation Limited’ (POSOCO), a
complete subsidiary of POWERGRID, was formed in 2009 and entrusted with the
responsibility of Grid Operation and Management.
Development of Transmission System for Independent Power Producers
The growing power demand in India brought about, Capacity Addition through private sector
participation. Independent Power Producers (IPPs) have set-up power generation plants of
different capacities with various time schedules in resource rich states, like Odisha, Jharkhand,
Sikkim, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh etc. and the power
generated is transmitted to load centres across the Nation.
Power-Grid has undertaken development of high capacity transmission corridors for
evacuation of large quantum of power from various IPP projects since it’s the nodal agency
for grant of Long Term Access (LTA) to private producers.
To evolve an economical transmission system for such large quanta’s of power, 11 High
Capacity Power Transmission Corridors have been planned and approved by CERC.
Implementation of these corridors has been taken up in a phased manner matching with
progress of generation projects. This shall go a long way in integrated development of
transmission system in the country.
Technological Development
POWERGRID has undertaken several technological innovations, to address issues of
conserving Right-of-Way (RoW), minimizing impact on natural resources, coordinated
development of cost effective transmission corridor, flexibility in up gradation of transfer
capacity of lines matching with power transfer requirement and for development of an optimal
techno economical inter-State transmission system.
These include high temperature low sag Conductors, series compensation including Thyristor
Control, Multi Circuits, GIS Mapping, Compact & Tall Towers, High Surge Impedance
Loading Lines, hotline maintenance, live line washing of insulators; use of emergency
restoration system, large scale automation of substations, etc.
The 1200kV UHV AC technology is being developed by POWERGRID for the first time in
the world. This is one of the unique R&D projects in public-private partnership model. During
FY2011-12, POWERGRID test-charged 1200kV Single circuit test line along with 1200 kV
transformer and other equipment. The introduction of Ultra High Voltage in the transmission
system will enhance power transfer capability of the line and reduce transmission losses and
minimise Right of Way requirement.
Implementation of ±800 kV, 6000 MW HVDC Bi-pole of length around 2000km from North
Eastern region (Biswanath Chariali in the State of Assam) to Northern Region (Agra in the
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State of Uttar Pradesh) is under construction. This shall facilitate high quantum of power
transfer. Once implemented, this shall be the longest ±800kV HVDC line in the world.
National High Power Test Laboratory Pvt. Ltd. (NHPTL), a Joint Venture Company of
POWERGRID, NTPC, NHPC, DVC and CPRI, created in May, 2009 has been entrusted with
the responsibility of establishing a fully independent, standalone, state of the art “On Line
High Power Short Circuit Test Facility” at Bina (M.P.) in India. Under Phase-I the facilities
are being created for short circuit testing of
Power Transformers ranging from 11 kV to 765 kV class. On completion of Phase I, NHPTL
Lab would be a unique test facility of its kind in the world to facilitate short circuit testing of
transformer up to 765kV.
Subsequently, the facilities will be extended for short circuit testing of Switchgears (Circuit
Breakers) up to 550kV, 63 kA for Short-Circuits duties with synthetic methods and the high
current withstand capability of electrical equipment such as LV Bus Bar, LV Contacts, LV
breakers, LV Disconnectors, LV switchgear, Bushings, CT, as per National (BIS) and
International (IEC) Standards.
Smart Grid/ Smart City
POWERGRID has taken the initiative for implementation of Smart Grid Technology in the
country. The Company has implemented Smart Grid Pilot Project using WAMS (Wide Area
Measurement System) for the first time in India. “India Smart Grid Task Force”, headed by
Mr Sam Pitroda, Adviser to Honourable Prime Minister, for Public Information Infrastructure
& Innovations, is the focal point for Government’s activities on Smart Grid. Secretariat of this
prestigious forum is now being operated by POWERGRID.
POWERGRID has taken up development of Smart City, for which a pilot project at
Pondicherry is being implemented phase wise. This will include Smart Distribution Advance
Metering Infrastructure, Outage, Peak Load and Power Quality Management, Electric
Vehicles and Energy Storage ,Smart Generation (Renewable and micro grid), Smart
Transmission (Integration of Renewable Energy Sources, Synchrophasor Technology), and
Smart Public Services (such as e-governance, education, e-Medical).
International Co-operation – Towards SAARC Grid
POWERGRID is actively participating in developing a road map for SAARC market for
electricity on a regional basis to develop a cross country power-grid, harnessing each other’s
capacities and resources in order to address the growing energy need in the region.
Presently, various interconnections exist between India & Nepal and between
India & Bhutan. For evacuation of power from various upcoming HEPs in Bhutan,
Punatsangchu-I HEP (in Bhutan)-Alipurduar (in India), 400kV D/c line between Bhutan &
India is under implementation. Further, an asynchronous interconnection between India &
Bangladesh through 500MW HVDC back-to-back terminal along with Bheramara
(Bangladesh) - Baharampur (India) 400kV D/c is under implementation. In addition, an
interconnection between India and Sri Lanka through HVDC bipole link including submarine
cable for sea portion is being finalised. Further, for bulk transfer of power, interconnection
between India and Nepal through 400kV Dhalkebar (in Nepal) – Muzaffarpur (in India) D/c
transmission line has been planned. The modalities for the implementation of the same are
under finalization.
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Consultancy
POWERGRID has acquired in-house expertise at par with global standards in the field of
Planning, Design, Engineering, Load Despatch, Tele-Communication, Contracts, Finance and
Project Management and offers its services in these areas at national & international level. The
Company has emerged as a strong player in transmission sector in South Asia, Middle-east
Asia & African countries and is providing consultancy services. POWERGRID is keenly
participating in projects funded by ADB, The World Bank, and other foreign organizations in
various countries like Kenya, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Tajikistan & Bangladesh, Sri Lanka,
Myanmar, Nepal, UAE, Bhutan. POWERGRID has also secured consultancy assignments in
Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Nigeria and Dubai against stiff competition from international
consultants.
Telecom
POWERGRID diversified into Telecom business to utilize spare telecommunication capacity
of its Unified Load Dispatch Centre (ULDC) schemes, leveraging its country wide
transmission infrastructure. The Company has installed over 25,000 km Telecom Network and
provided connectivity to all metros, major cities & towns including State capitals in North-
Eastern Region, Jammu & Kashmir, etc. Presently, it is one of the few telecom players with a
marked presence in remote areas and is providing highly reliable services to various customers.
The Company has acquired IP-I, ISP ‘A’ and NLDO licences to provide a variety of services.
POWERGRID has taken initiatives to lease its transmission tower infrastructure assets to
telecom operators in order to add better business value to its existing telecom operation. The
Company is also one of the implementing agencies for the prestigious National Knowledge
Network project of Govt. of India. The project envisages a gigantic 3 layer Telecom network
of all knowledge centres across the country such as IITs, IISC, etc. on high speed connectivity.
Furthermore, POWERGRID is also a part of prestigious National Optical Fibre Network
project of Government of India along with BSNL, Rail Tel in its joint venture – Bharat
Broadband Network Limited.
Power System Management
POWERGRID takes continuous action regarding operation and maintenance to seek and
ensure compliance with prescribed standards as well as to achieve and maintain high
availability of the system.
Establishment of Transmission System
POWERGRID’s core business is the transmission of electric power. The Company owns and
operates more than 1,00,619 Ckt. kms network of transmission lines, 1,64,763 MVA
transformation capacity and 168 substations that constitutes most of India’s interstate and
inter-regional electric power transmission system.
POWERGRID has 80 transmission projects in various stages of implementation which include
22 Generation linked Projects with cost of approx. Rs. 51,890 Crores, 33 system strengthening
Projects with cost of approx. Rs. 22322 Crores & 25 Projects for IPPs/LTOA with cost of
approx. Rs. 43,104 Crores. These projects involve approximately 51,523 ckt km of
transmission lines and 84 substations with a total power transformation capacity of
approximately 159355 MVA and 10250 MW of HVDC. The budgeted cost of these projects
is Rs. 117316 Crores.
POWERGRID has undertaken development of 11 High Capacity Transmission Corridors to
facilitate power transfer from various upcoming IPP generation projects. Most of these
generation projects are envisaged in the State of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya
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Pradesh, Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu etc. The transmission corridors mainly
comprise of high capacity 765kV double circuit line, ±800kV HVDC system, 765/400kV
Pooling Stations at different locations. In addition, POWERGRID’s works also involve
development of transmission system of 6 UMPPs each of 4000MW capacity as well as other
central sector generation projects and grid strengthening schemes. The transmission scheme
mainly involves establishment of 765kV AC and 800kV HVDC system. It is envisaged to
develop about 50,000 circuit km EHV transmission lines at 400kV and above and 60 EHV
substations with nearly 110,000 MVA transformation capacity in the next 6-7 years.
O&M of Transmission System
Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd., a transmission licensee takes continuous action
regarding operation and maintenance to seek and ensure compliance with prescribed standards
as well as to achieve high availability of the system for uninterrupted power supply to
customers. POWERGRID O&M activities are ISO certified and systems and procedures are
revised periodically to be updated with the present technology.
Requirements and processes by POWERGRID
 Condition assessment and monitoring techniques are used to optimise maintenance
intervals and reduce system outages.
 POWERGRID has developed flexible working practices to take advantage of the system
conditions for regular maintenance work and also modify their annual maintenance
programme according to general maintenance schedules.
 Techniques such as live-line working are used to enable maintenance to be carried out
without taking transmission lines out of service.
 Emergency Restoration Systems ("ERSs") are used for early restoration in case of natural
disasters and other emergencies.
 POWERGRID has achieved an availability of 99.95% per year. Hot line maintenance of
transmission lines and Substation equipment ensures this high availability.
Emergency Restoration Systems are deployed to restore collapsed towers due to natural
calamity in shortest possible time. Helicopters are used for transmission line patrolling and
washing of insulators. Spares are managed and kept at appropriate locations for early
restoration and minimal outage. Extensive on-line health assessment and monitoring
equipment are used for continuous health monitoring. Well-equipped and accredited Oil
Testing Laboratories have been established at six locations across the Nation for Condition
Assessment of oil filled equipment.
POWERGRID is also in the process of robots for transmission line inspection and maintenance
apart from aerial patrolling using helicopters to optimize manpower requirement, time
management and improved maintenance efficiency.
Grid Management
Grid Management is looked after by Power System Operation Corporation Limited
(POSOCO), a complete subsidiary of POWERGRID. Unified Load Despatch & Centre
(ULDC) schemes have continued to bring quality and economy in operation of power system
besides improving data availability, visibility and transparency. Grid management carried out
in regional basis. Each of the regions has a Regional Load Dispatch Centre which is the apex
body as per the Electricity Act 2003 to ensure integrated operation of the power system in the
concerned region. These RLDCs are presently owned, managed and operated by the Central
Transmission Utility (CTU), POWERGRID.
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For overall co-ordination, National Load Despatch Centre (NLDC) at Delhi, with back up at
Kolkata, is completely operative. Since the Grid Management Responsibility is shifted to
POWERGRID’s complete subsidiary M/s POSOCO, the RLDC and NLDC are being managed
by POSOCO.
Role of LDCs
RLDC is responsible for carrying out real time operations of grid control and despatch of
electricity within the region through secure and economic operation of the regional grid in
accordance with the Grid Standards and Grid Code.
 Monitor Grid Operations.
 Exercise supervision and control over the inter-state transmission system.
 Optimum scheduling and despatch of electricity within the region.
 Keep track of the quantity of electricity transmitted the regional grid.
Grid Management Functions:
The Ex-ante functions
 Planning for the day of operation
 Estimate the future scenarios, evaluating options and making elaborate plans to meet the
anticipated as well as unforeseen events
Real time Functions
Balancing the supply and demand of electric energy in the interconnected system
Post Facto Functions
 Grid performance reporting
 Post mortem of events
 Settlement of accounts
 Documentation of experiences • Interaction with stake holders
Measures employed by POWERGRID:
Technology
POWERGRID has modernized all the Regional Load Dispatch Centres (RLDCS) with the best
Unified Load Despatch & Communication (ULDC) schemes.
Manpower
Expert manpower has been deployed to make the complete use of the technology. These
modernized RLDCs are aiding to bring quality and economy in the operation of the power
system while improving data availability, visibility and transparency.
Process Adopted
POWERGRID has spearheaded the implementation of Availability Based Tariff (ABT) across
the country, which has a built-in commercial mechanism to reward proper grid behaviour. This
has significantly stabilized vital grid parameters, i.e. Voltage and frequency thereby improving
the quality of power. With the adoption of the best operational practices POWERGRID has
achieved:
 Proactive preventive maintenance
 Implementation of ABT
 Round the clock vigil for grid management
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POWERGRID
“DIVERSIFICATION INTO TELECOM BUSINESS”
India has one of the lowest telephone densities in the world. It has been recognized by the
policy makers and the planners of the country that in order to utilize the modern technology to
reach every citizen modern, efficient and affordable telephone network is critical. Hence,
Government of India allowed the entry of private sector in the field of telecom services. The
Government also allowed the participation of other infrastructure players to use their existing
infrastructure to provide telecom services.
As a result, companies like Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. and State Electricity Boards,
who own transmission lines running across the length and breadth of the country, can provide
Right of Way and towers for laying of telecom cables facilitating quick and economical
installation of telecom network.
Similarly, organizations like Indian Railways and Gas Authority of India etc. are also
undertaking projects to use their resources to provide telecom services, which will not only
help India to reach its goal of providing telecom services to every citizen but will also become
a lucrative additional source of revenue for these organizations at a relatively low incremental
investment.
Further in case of POWERGRID there were several internal requirements such as
“NATIONAL TRANSMISSION ASSET MANAGEMENT CENTRE” (NTAMC) and
“ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING” (ERP) which resulted in the diversification of
POWERGRID a transmission utility into Telecom business in order to explore telecom market
through the convergence of power sector with telecom sector by making available low cost
and high quality telecom infrastructure on its existing and planned transmission infrastructure.
It was also the need of the transmission enabling the LOAD DESPATCH CENTRES to receive
the data in order to maintain the 99.9% availability.
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NATIONAL TRANSMISSION ASSET MANAGEMENT CENTRE (NTAMC)
The emphasis on the power sector to ensure the growth in GDP has brought in many changes
in the business environment of Power Sector. The transmission sector being the integral part
of it is also facing multiple challenges like competitive bidding for transmission project, lack
of experienced manpower, stringent demands by the regulator, etc.
The technological development coupled with falling prices of communication system and
formation technology provides us the opportunity for virtual manning of Substation thereby
optimizing the requirement of skilled manpower and managing the asset with minimal
workforce.
Thus, state of the art computerized control centres NTAMC & RTAMC with associated
telecommunication system and adapted substation for enabling remote centralized operation,
monitoring and control of POWERGRID Transmission system has been proposed.
The aim is to have unmanned substations except security personnel. The operations of the
substations will be done from a remote centralized location i.e. NTAMC. The RTAMC will
co-ordinate the maintenance aspect of the substation from a centralized location and will act
as a backup to the NTACM for operation. The maintenance activities would be carried out by
maintenance service hub (MSH). A MSH will cater to 3-4 substations in its vicinity in co-
ordination with the respective RTAMCs.
The substations and various control centres will be connected by redundant broadband
communication network through POWERGRID (Telecom) communication links.
Telecom Department to provide high speed communication links between NTAMC, RTAMCs
and Sub-stations.
The Connectivity Status has been finalized in association with LD&C department and
NTAMC group. More links have to be planned by LD&C for total protection. Bandwidth
requirement and Connectivity Scheme finalized. At stations where this connectivity is not
possible, leased lines will be hired from other telecom operators up to the nearest connection
point.
Total 192 Substation connectivity will be planned in 2 phases.
 Phase-I 120 Sub Stations
 Phase-II 72 Sub Stations
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ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING (ERP)
POWERGRID is implementing integrated Information System in form of Enterprise Resource
Planning (ERP) system across the organization to ensure smooth operation through
deployment of various resources (Man, Material, Machine etc.) in effective manner.
The primary objective of setting up an integrated ERP system is to deploy state-of the-art
Information System across all aspects of POWERGRID’s operation for the purpose of
positioning the organization as an efficient and dynamic organization. ERP enables integration
of different functional and geographically dispersed
Regions/sub r stations through cross-functional, process-oriented and virtually integrated
enterprise. This results in improved decision making in day-to-day Business transactions and
reduction in transaction & coordination costs.
POWERGRID is an organization with pan India presence; it has around 350 offices across the
country where different operations pertaining to the organization are carried out. Number of
employees working in each office along with the anticipated volume of ERP transactions from
each of these employees varies significantly. Extending reliable and secure LAN/WAN
connectivity with high availability of all of these locations to the Data centre is mandatory
requirement for successful implementation of ERP system in POWERGRID.
For the above mentioned internal requirements of POWERGRID a secure, robust, redundant
and vandalism proof telecom network was required. As for installing the OPGW only an
incremental fund was required (considering POWERGRID’s own RoW).
Therefore, POWERGRID diversified into Telecom business to utilize spare
telecommunication capacity of its Unified Load Dispatch Centre (ULDC) schemes, leveraging
its country wide transmission infrastructure. As a part of this, POWERGRID has installed over
25,000 km Telecom Network and connectivity has been provided to all metros, major cities &
towns including State capitals in North Eastern Region, Jammu & Kashmir, etc. Presently,
POWERGRID is one of the few telecom players with a marked presence in remote areas and
is providing highly reliable services to various customers. The Company has acquired IP-I,
ISP ‘A’ and NLDO licences to provide a variety of services.
Also, there is no other service provider in INDIA who provides the telecom services on
OPGW. So, there was a better opportunity to grab the maximum of the telecom bandwidth
business.
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SWOT Analysis
STRENGTH:
 Only service provider with OPGW.
 Having Pan India presence.
 No twisting, Vandalism proof.
 Free RoW (Right of Way).
 Existing Transmission line maintenance and monitoring team can take care of the O&M of
OPGW.
 Healthy financial condition.
 Highly technical manpower.
 Full support from Government of India ( as POWERGRID is a Govt. Company)
WEAKNESS:
As POWERGRID’s transmission line & Substations are away from the city/town, connecting
to main cities is a challenge.
OPPURTUNITY:
 Possibility to gather most of the telecom bandwidth business.
 Penetration in interior and hilly areas.
 Telecom business in NER and J&K (disturbed areas) region.
 Monopoly in Telecom Infrastructure with OPGW technology.
THREATS:
Competition from private players.
Page | 18
WORK
POWERGRID with its brand name ‘POWERTEL’ in Telecom business is the only utility in
the Country having overhead optic fibre network using Optical Ground Wire on power
transmission lines. It has an all India Broad Band Telecom Network of about 25000 Kms.
Why Telecom?
 Opportunity to explore the telecom market through the convergence of power sector with
telecom sector by providing low cost and high quality telecom infrastructure.
 Explore telecom market liberalization and utilize the spare capacity of optical fibres
available to POWERGIRD.
 It’s an optimization of returns and value creation through new initiative.
 Telecom business has supplemented POWERGRID’s efforts in development of its
information technology for core transmission business.
 Enabled POWERGRID to create additional economic value by stimulating the
development of Indian Telecom Sector especially in the difficult terrain of North East
Region and Jammu & Kashmir
POWERGRID has leveraged its presence in transmission:
 Electricity network topology formed the Optic fibre backbone network
 Power transmission lines, crisscrossing the entire country connecting the major
metropolitan cities/towns, provide an excellent infrastructure for stringing optical fibre
cable which can be used to set up a high grade long distance telecommunication network
of high capacity.
Venture into Telecom business:
 POWERGRID has been entrusted with the responsibility of implementation of System
Coordination and Control (SC&C) projects in various regions for better overall
coordination and effective management of interconnected grid networks.
 For real time monitoring, better management of grid through state of the art Supervisory
Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) & Energy Management System (EMS)
technologies, require dedicated wideband communication networks.
Page | 19
Tele-Communications Equipments
Telecommunications Equipments are the hardwares used for the purposes of

telecommunications. Since the 1990s the boundary between telecom equipment and IT
hardware has become blurred as a result of the growth of the internet and its increasing role in
the transfer of telecoms data. Types
Telecom equipment can be broadly broken down into the following categories:
 Public Switching Equipment
o Analogue Switches - also called the bilateral switch, is an
electronic component similar to a relay. The switching element
is a pair MOSFET transistors, an N-channel device and a P-
channel device. These can conduct Analogue or Digital Signals
in either direction and isolates the switched terminals when off.
Manufactured as integrated circuits they come in packages of
two, four or eight switches.
o Digital Switches – is a device that handles digital signals
generated or passed through a central office and forwards them
across the network. It receives the digital signals that have been
converted from user’s analogue signals and
switches them with other incoming signals
out to the wide area network.
 Transmission Equipment
o Transmission Lines
 Optical Fibre - is a flexible,
transparent fibre made of high quality
extruded glass or plastic, slightly
thicker than a human hair. It functions as a
waveguide, to transmit light between the two
ends of the fibre. Power over Fibre (PoF) optic
cables can be used to deliver electric current for
low-power electric devices.
o Base Transceiver Stations - is a piece of equipment
that facilitates wireless communication between user
equipment (UE) and a network.
Page | 20
o Multiplexer - is a device that
selects a signal and forwards it to
a single line. A multiplexer of 2n
inputs has n select lines, used to
select which input line to send to
the output. MUX are used to
increase the amount of data sent
over a certain time and bandwidth.
It’s also called a data selector.
o Local Loops - is the physical link or circuit that connects from the demarcation point
of the customer premises to the edge of the common carrier or telecommunications
service provider's network.
o Communications Satellites - COMSAT is an
Artificial Satellite sent to space for the
purpose of Telecommunications Modern
COMSAT’s use a variety of orbits including
Geostationary Orbits, Elliptical Orbits
and Low (Polar and Non-Polar) Earth Orbits.
 Customer Premises Equipment
o Private Switches
o Local Area Networks - is a computer network that interconnects computers within a
limited area.
o Modems - is a
device that modulates
an Analog carrier signal to
encode digital information and
demodulates the signal to
decode the transmitted
information. The goal is to
produce a signal that can be
transmitted easily and decoded
to reproduce the original digital
data.
 Routers - is a device that
forwards data packets between
computer networks. This
creates an overlay
internetwork, as a router is
connected to two or more data
lines from different
networks.
Page | 21
 Power Supply Unit
o Switched Mode Power Supply - is an electronic power supply that incorporates a
switching regulator to convert electrical power efficiently. The SMPS transfers power
from a source, like mains power, to a load, such as a personal computer, while
converting voltage and current characteristics.
o Battery Van – it’s charged by D.C. Power Supply from SMPS and Generates a -48V
voltage supply (standard voltage supply for Telecom Equipments)
o System Rack - Contains the Fibre Optic Distribution Panel (FODP)
Battery Van
System Rack
Page | 22
Digital Transmission Systems
The two modes of transmission used are:
 SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) - is a standard technology for synchronous data
transmission on optical media. It is the international equivalent of Synchronous Optical
Network. Both technologies provide faster and less expensive network interconnection than
traditional PDH (Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy) equipment.
 The Network Elements of SDH :

o Regenerator (Reg.): Regenerates the clock and amplifies the incoming distorted and
attenuated signal. It derive the clock signal from the incoming data stream.
o Terminal Multiplexer (TM): It combines the Plesionchronous and synchronous input
signals into higher bit rate STM-N Signal. o Add/Drop Multiplexer (ADM): Extraction
from & insertion into high speed
o SDH bit streams of Plesionchronous and lower bit rate synchronous signal.
o Digital Cross Connect (DXC):Equipment which has the capability of interconnecting
tributaries
 DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing) - Wavelength-division multiplexing
(WDM) is a technology which multiplexes a number of optical carrier signals onto a single
optical fibre by using different wavelengths (i.e., colours) of laser light. This technique
enables bidirectional communications over one strand of fibre, as well as multiplication of
capacity. Dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) refers originally to optical
signals multiplexed within the 1550 nm band so as to leverage the capabilities (and cost)
which are effective for wavelengths between approximately 1525– 1565 nm (C band), or
1570–1610 nm (L band). DWDM replaces the old SDH/SONET technology.
Page | 23
Optical Ground Wire
An optical ground wire (also known as an OPGW or, in the IEEE standard, an optical fibre
composite overhead ground wire) is a type of cable that is used in the construction of electric
power transmission and distribution lines. Such cable combines the functions of grounding
and communications. An OPGW cable
contains a tubular structure with one or more optical fibres in it, surrounded by
layers of steel and aluminium wire. The OPGW cable is run between the tops of
high-voltage electricity pylons. The conductive part of the cable serves to bond adjacent towers
to earth ground, and shields the high-voltage conductors from lightning strikes. The optical
fibres within the cable can be used for high-speed transmission of data, either for the electrical
utility's own purposes of protection and control of the transmission line, for the utility's own
voice and data communication, or may be leased or sold to third parties to serve as a high-
speed fibre interconnection between cities.
Page | 24
Transmission Line with Earth Wire
The optical fibre itself is an insulator and protects power transmission lines against lightning
induction, external noise and cross-talk. Typically, OPGW cables contain single-mode optical
fibres with low transmission loss, allowing long distance transmission at high speeds. The
outer appearance of OPGW is similar to ACSR cable usually used for shield wires.
History
OPGW cables were patented by BICC in 1977 and installation of optical ground wires became
widespread from the 1980s. In the peak year of 2000, around 60,000 km of OPGW was
installed world-wide. Asia, especially China, has become the largest regional market for
OPGW used in transmission-line construction.
Page | 25
Construction
Several different styles of OPGW are made. In
one type, between 8 and 48 glass optical fibres are
placed in a plastic tube. The tube is inserted into
a stainless steel, aluminium, or aluminium-coated
steel tube, with some slack length of fibre allowed
to prevent strain on the glass fibres. The buffer
tubes are filled with grease to protect the fibre
unit from water and to protect the steel tube from
corrosion, the interstices of the cable are filled
with grease. The tube is stranded into the cable
with aluminium, aluminium alloy or steel strands,
similar to an ACSR cable. The steel strands
provide strength, and the aluminium strands
provide electrical conductivity. For very large fibre counts, up to 144 fibres in one cable,
multiple tubes are used.
In other types, an aluminium rod has several spiral grooves around the outside, in which fibres
in buffer tubes are laid. The fibre unit is covered with a plastic or steel tape, and the whole
surrounded with aluminium and steel strands.
Individual fibres may be in "loose buffer" tubes, where the inside diameter of the tube is greater
than the fibre outside diameter, or may be "tight buffered" where the plastic buffer is coated
directly on to the glass. Fibres for OPGW are single mode type.
Page | 26
Types of Optic Fibre Cables
The broad two types of optical fibres are:

 Single Mode Fibre (SMF) – It’s an optical fibre designed to carry light only down the fibre.
It supports one stable mode of propagation. A typical Single Mode Optical Fibre has a core
diameter between 8 to 10.5 µm and a cladding diameter of 125 µm. There are a few special
types of single-mode optical fibre that have been altered to give special properties, like
dispersion-shifted fibre and nonzero dispersion-shifted fibre. Data rates are limited by
polarization mode dispersion and chromatic dispersion. SMF exhibit modal dispersion
resulting from Multiple Spatial Modes but with Narrower Modal Dispersion. They are
therefore better at retaining the fidelity of each Light Pulse over longer distances than
Multimode Fibres. Hence, SMF’s have a higher bandwidth. Its equipment is more
expensive than that for multi-mode optical fibre, but the single mode fibre itself is usually
cheaper in bulk.
 Multiple Mode Fibre: Fibre with large core diameter (greater than 10 µm) is called multi-
mode fibre. It supports more than one stable mode of propagation. A Multi-Mode Optical
Fibre is has a large core diameter, 50–100 µm; much larger than the wavelength of the light
carried in it. Due to the large core and the possibility of large numerical aperture, Multi-
Mode Fibre has higher "light gathering" capacity. The larger core size simplifies
connections and allows the use of low-cost electronics such as LEDs and Vertical-Cavity
Surface-Emitting Lasers (VCSELs) which operate at the 850 nm and 1300 nm wavelength.
However, its Bandwidth to Distance product limit is lower due to larger core size,
furthermore, it supports more than one propagation mode; hence it is
limited by modal dispersion .
Page | 27
Comparison with Other Methods
Optical fibres are used by utilities as an alternative to private point to point microwave systems,
power line carrier or communication circuits on metallic cables. OPGW as a communication
medium has some advantages over buried optical fibre cable. Installation cost per kilometre is
lower than a buried cable. Effectively, the optical circuits are protected from accidental contact
by the high voltage cables below (and by the elevation of the OPGW from ground). A
communications circuit carried by an overhead OPGW cable is unlikely to be damaged by
excavation work, road repairs or installation of buried pipelines. Since the overall dimensions
and weight of an OPGW is similar to the regular grounding wire, the towers supporting the
line do not experience extra loading due to cable weight, wind and ice loads.
Application
A utility may install many more fibres than it needs for its internal communications both to
allow for future needs and also to lease or sell to telecommunications companies. Rental fees
for these "dark fibres" (spares) can provide a valuable source of revenue for the electrical
utility. However, when rights-of-way for a transmission line have been expropriated from
landowners, occasionally utilities have been restricted from such leasing agreements on the
basis that the original right of way was only granted for electric power transmission.
Lower-voltage distribution lines may also carry OPGW wires for bonding and
communications; however, utilities may also install all-dielectric self-supporting (ADSS)
cables on distribution pole lines. These cables are somewhat similar to those used for telephone
and cable television distribution.
While OPGW is easily installed in new construction, electrical utilities find the increased
capacity of fibre to be so useful that techniques have been worked out for replacement of
ground wires with OPGW on energized lines. Live-line working techniques are used to re-
strand the towers with OPGW replacing the all-metal type of overhead shield wires.
Page | 28
Types of Fibre Connectors
Fibre Connectors are used to join Optical Fibres where a connect/disconnect capability is
required. The basic connector assembly consists of an adapter and two connector plugs. Due
to the sophisticated polishing and tuning procedures that may be used in Optical Connector
Manufacturing, connectors are generally pre-assembled onto optical fibre. However, the
assembly and polishing operations involved can be performed in the field.
Page | 29
Advantages of Optic Fibre Technology
 Extremely high Bandwidth i.e. high information carrying capacity

 Very Low Attenuation(0.02db/km), no cross talk and disturbances
 Low Cost as compared to Copper
 Immune to EMI(Electromagnetic Interference) and RFI(Radio Frequency Interference)
 Dielectric in nature, so not susceptible to electrical surroundings
 Small Size, Light Weight, easy to install and difficult to Tap (hence Secure)
Technology Deployed
 UGOFC(Under-Ground Optic Fibre Cable) has been provided to create PoP (Point of
Presence) where s/s or overhead line is not available
 OPGW – (Optical Fibre Ground Wire) over high voltage Transmission line. Installed about
29,279 Kms of Telecom Network (OPGW - 19,656 Kms & UGOFC - 9,623 Kms). It’s
used in the construction of electric power distribution and transmission lines. Functions in
both Grounding and Communications. The fibres within the cable are used for high-speed
transmission of data. Conductive part of the cable serves as ground to adjacent towers, and
shields the high voltage conductors from lightning strikes.
Page | 30
Installation
Installation of OPGW requires some additional planning because it is impractical to splice an

OPGW cable in mid-span; the lengths of cable purchased must be coordinated with the spans
between towers to prevent waste. Where fibres must be joined between lengths, a weatherproof
splice box is installed on a tower; a similar box is used to transition from the OPGW to an
outside plant fibre-only cable to connect the fibres to terminal equipment.
Types of Installations
 Horizontal Directional Drilling - is a steerable trenchless method of installing underground
pipes, conduits and cables in a shallow arc along a bore path by using a surface-launched
drilling rig, with minimal impact on the surrounding area. This is used when Trenching or
Excavating like jobs on roads,
landscapes and river crossings.
Installations up to 2km can be
done. Pipes can be made of
materials such as PVC,
polyethylene, polypropylene,
ductile iron, and steel. The best
material is solid rock or
sedimentary material. There
are different types of heads
used in the pilot-hole process,
and they depend on the geological material.
 Micro Trenching - Micro trenching creates a shallow groove in the asphalt. The groove is
only 2 cm wide and 30 cm deep. Once a groove is created, the micro-tube is pushed in and
then backfilled and sealed with cold asphalt. Fibre cable can then be blown into the tubes
and made available to households. The advantages of micro-trenching are:
o The process of laying fibre is quicker
o Costs are lower
o The ground does not thaw in the winter
o There are no disruptions to traffic.
 Mini Trenching - Mini trenching is the commonly used way of installing micro duct
underground. Mechanical trenchers cut slots 150 to 400 mm deep and 70 to 150 mm wide,
using a Tungsten Carbide tipped wheel. The mini-trench is backfilled by pouring concrete
with suitable foaming additives. The trenching method is fast and inexpensive.
Page | 31
Trouble-Shooting and Maintenance
 OTDR (Optical Time Domain

Reflectometer): It’s an
Optoelectronic Instrument used to
characterize an Optic Fibre. It is the
optical equivalent of an Electronic
Time Domain Reflectometer. The
device injects a series of Optical
Pulses into the fibre under test and
extracts the same from the other end.
The strength of the return pulse is
measured and integrated as a function of time, then it’s plotted as a function of fibre length.
Application: Provides us the distance of line-fault from a
given end.
 OPM (Optical Power Meter): It’s used to measure the
power in Optical Signals and average power in Fibre Optic
Systems. The device consists of a Calibrated Sensor,
Measuring Amplifier and Display. The Sensor primarily
consists of a Photodiode selected for the appropriate range
of Wavelengths and Power Levels. The Power is displayed
in dB The Sensors are semiconductor materials like
Silicon, Germanium, GaAs, etc. each having a specific
operating wavelength range. Like GaAs sensors, mostly
used for single-mode fibre testing at 1270 - 1650 nm.
 Splicing: It’s the process of
joining optical fibres with each
other. This is done by controlled
melting of Optical Fibres (heat
created from an electrical arc,
Melting Point: around 1600-
2000˚C) resulting in softening
of glass after which fibres are
fed together.
Page | 32
Network Management System (NMS)
A Network Management System (NMS) is a set of hardware and software tools that allow an
IT professional to supervise the individual components of a network within a larger Network
Management Framework.
Network management system components assist with:
 Network device discovery - identifying what devices are present on a network.
 Network device monitoring - monitoring at the device level to determine the health of
network components and the extent to which their performance matches capacity plans and
intra-enterprise service-level agreements (SLAs).
 Network performance analysis - tracking performance indicators like bandwidth
utilization, packet loss, latency, availability and uptime of routers, switches and other
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) - enabled devices.
 Intelligent notifications - configurable alerts that will respond to specific network scenarios
by informing a network administrator.
How is it done?
 Real Time Monitoring of the Telecom Network through state of the art National Telecom
Control Centre at Delhi.
 Fault Management in a 24x7 basis.
 Customer Support HELPDESK.
 Technical Support.
 Dedicated and focused approach on RTCC’s at Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai & Bengaluru.
Page | 33
Marketing
Marketing is the process of communicating the value of a product or service to customers, for
the purpose of selling that product or service.
Marketing can be looked at as an organizational function, a set of processes for creating,
delivering and communicating value to customers, and customer relationship management that
also benefits the organization. It’s the science of choosing target markets through market
analysis and market segmentation, as well as understanding consumer behaviour and providing
superior customer value. From a societal point of view, marketing is the link between a
society's material requirements and its economic patterns of response. Marketing satisfies
these needs and wants through exchange processes and building long term relationships.
Marketing may be defined in several ways, depending on the strategic role of the enterprise in
positioning the firm within its competitive market.
Power-Grid, has leveraged itself to dominate the Telecom Market by utilizing its already
present OPGW Network Infrastructure. The company has acquired the following licenses for
its telecom business and further strengthened its position:
 National Long Distance (NLD) license.
 ISP Category ‘A’ license, to provide internet services in the country.
 IP-I to provide Telecom Infrastructure.
 The presence of the license and infrastructure combined with reliable services and 99.9%
redundancy has caused the company to have a steadily growing customer base with most
of the high players already in the bag. Some of Power-Grids customers are:
 Unified Access Service Providers
 NLDO’s (NIC, RailTel, BSNL ,Airtel, Prasar-Bharati)
 ILDO’s
 ISP’s (AMTRON,NEEPCO,HPSEB)
 Call Centres
 Govt. Agencies
 Corporate Customers & MNC’s
Page | 34
Business Aspects
Strength:
 Only service provider with OPGW.
 Having Pan India presence.
 No twisting, Vandalism proof.
 Free RoW (Right of Way).
 Existing Transmission line maintenance and monitoring team can take care of the O&M of
OPGW.
 Healthy financial condition.
 Highly technical manpower.
 Full support from Government of India ( as POWERGRID is a Govt. Company)
Weakness:
As POWERGRID’s transmission line & Substations are away from the city/town, connecting
to main cities is a challenge.
Opportunity:
 Possibility to gather most of the telecom bandwidth business.
 Penetration in interior and hilly areas.
 Telecom business in NER and J&K (disturbed areas) region.
 Monopoly in Telecom Infrastructure with OPGW technology
Relevance of Telecom Business:
 Implementation of System Coordination and Control (SC&C) projects for better overall
coordination and effective management of interconnected grid networks.
 Real time monitoring & better management of grid through Supervisory Control and Data
Acquisition (SCADA) & Energy Management System (EMS) technologies which require
dedicated wideband communication networks.
Business Strategies of PowerTel:
 Conservative Marketing, not aggressive like other private players
 Does not participate unless considerable profit margin (Revenue: Investment>2:1)
 Since it is a B-B service provider, relationships with customers are critical
 PowerTel is looking forward to increase its network by another 33,000 kms.
Page | 35
Ongoing & Upcoming Projects
National Knowledge Network (NKN):

NKN is state of art Multi-Gigabit Pan-India Network. It has been designed to ensure the
Highest Level of Availability, Quality of Services and Robust, Secure and Reliable
Connectivity for extending network based services. The network consists of ultra-high speed
core links (10 Gbps), DHQ Links (1 Gbps), and edge links (100 Mbps/1 Gbps).
NKN would connect approximately 1500 or more Educational, Governance, Healthcare and
Research Institutions with connectivity up to District Level. NIC (National Informatics Centre)
under MoC & IT was appointed Nodal Agency for creating National Knowledge Network
utilizing the fibre capabilities of CPSUs. Agreement with National Informatics Centre (NIC)
and National Informatics Centre Services Inc. (NICSI) on September 16, 2010
POWERGRID as service partner of NKN would provision Core/Distribution links of
(10Gbps/2.5Gbps) bandwidth Capacity/Edge Links of (1Gbps/100Mbps) and Tower
Infrastructure.
National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN):
The Government’s Project to connect 2, 50,000 Gram Panchayats (GP) in the country to form
a Seamless Optical Fibre Network, utilizing the existing optical fibre network of BSNL,
POWERGRID and RAILTEL. The Allocation of Gram Panchayats to BSNL, POWERGRID
and RailTel are in 3:1:1 ratio with an estimated cost of the project standing at Rs 20,000 Cr
and schedule Time Line for completion at 2 years.
NOFN will be executed by an SPV named “Bharat Broadband Network Ltd (BBNL).” While
the Central Govt. is to fund the Project, State Governments are to provide free Right of Way
and Co-location facilities as their part. Draft Tripartite agreement to be signed between SPV,
State Govt.’s and DoT has been circulated.
All the participating PSUs (i.e. POWERGRID, RailTel & BSNL) are to execute a pilot project
in 1 Block each within 90 days.
POWERGRID has successfully completed the Implementation of the Pilot Project and all the
15 Gram Panchayats in Parvada Block at Vizag Dist. have already been integrated with Block
Head Quarter.
POWERGRID has received an allotment letter from BBNL, for development & maintenance
of NOFN network in four States viz. Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand & Orissa
covering about 36,000 GPs on Deposit Work Basis. The work is to be carried out in about 89
districts covering 1769 blocks across these four States. The estimate cost of the project would
be about Rs 3000 crores.
Page | 36
NATIONAL TRANSMISSION ASSET MANAGEMENT CENTRE (NTAMC)
The emphasis on the power sector to ensure the growth in GDP has brought in many changes
in the business environment of Power Sector. The transmission sector being the integral part
of it is also facing multiple challenges like competitive bidding for transmission project, lack
of experienced manpower, stringent demands by the regulator, etc.
The technological development coupled with falling prices of communication system and
formation technology provides us the opportunity for virtual manning of Substation thereby
optimizing the requirement of skilled manpower and managing the asset with minimal
workforce.
Thus, state of the art computerized control centres NTAMC & RTAMC with associated
telecommunication system and adapted substation for enabling remote centralized operation,
monitoring and control of POWERGRID Transmission system has been proposed.
The aim is to have unmanned substations except security personnel. The operations of the
substations will be done from a remote centralized location i.e. NTAMC. The RTAMC will
co-ordinate the maintenance aspect of the substation from a centralized location and will act
as a backup to the NTACM for operation. The maintenance activities would be carried out by
maintenance service hub (MSH). A MSH will cater to 3-4 substations in its vicinity in co-
ordination with the respective RTAMCs.
The substations and various control centres will be connected by redundant broadband
communication network through POWERGRID (Telecom) communication links.
Telecom Department to provide high speed communication links between NTAMC, RTAMCs
and Sub-stations.
The Connectivity Status has been finalized in association with LD&C department and
NTAMC group. More links have to be planned by LD&C for total protection. Bandwidth
requirement and Connectivity Scheme finalized. At stations where this connectivity is not
possible, leased lines will be hired from other telecom operators up to the nearest connection
point.
Total 192 Substation connectivity will be planned in 2 phases.
 Phase-I 120 Sub Stations
 Phase-II 72 Sub Stations
Page | 37
ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING (ERP):
POWERGRID is implementing integrated Information System in form of Enterprise Resource
Planning (ERP) system across the organization to ensure smooth operation through
deployment of various resources (Man, Material, Machine etc.) in effective manner.
The primary objective of setting up an integrated ERP system is to deploy state-of the-art
Information System across all aspects of POWERGRID’s operation for the purpose of
positioning the organization as an efficient and dynamic organization. ERP enables integration
of different functional and geographically dispersed
Regions/sub r stations through cross-functional, process-oriented and virtually integrated
enterprise. This results in improved decision making in day-to-day Business transactions and
reduction in transaction & coordination costs.
POWERGRID is an organization with pan India presence; it has around 350 offices across the
country where different operations pertaining to the organization are carried out. Number of
employees working in each office along with the anticipated volume of ERP transactions from
each of these employees varies significantly. Extending reliable and secure LAN/WAN
connectivity with high availability of all of these locations to the Data centre is mandatory
requirement for successful implementation of ERP system in POWERGRID.
For the above mentioned internal requirements of POWERGRID a secure, robust, redundant
and vandalism proof telecom network was required. As for installing the OPGW only an
incremental fund was required (considering POWERGRID’s own RoW).
Therefore, POWERGRID diversified into Telecom business to utilize spare
telecommunication capacity of its Unified Load Dispatch Centre (ULDC) schemes, leveraging
its country wide transmission infrastructure. As a part of this, POWERGRID has installed over
25,000 km Telecom Network and connectivity has been provided to all metros, major cities &
towns including State capitals in North Eastern Region, Jammu & Kashmir, etc. Presently,
POWERGRID is one of the few telecom players with a marked presence in remote areas and
is providing highly reliable services to various customers. The Company has acquired IP-I,
ISP ‘A’ and NLDO licences to provide a variety of services.
Also, there is no other service provider in INDIA who provides the telecom services on
OPGW. So, there was a better opportunity to grab the maximum of the telecom bandwidth
business.
Page | 38
Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) – MPLS
Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) is a mechanism in high-performance
telecommunications networks that directs data from one network node to the next based on
short path labels, avoiding complex lookups in a routing table. Packet-forwarding decisions
are made solely on the contents of this label, without the need to examine the packet itself.
This allows one to create end-to-end circuits across any type of transport medium, using any
protocol.
MPLS operates at a layer that is generally considered to lie between traditional definitions of
layer 2 (data link layer) and layer 3 (network layer), and is often referred to as a "layer 2.5"
protocol. It’s designed to provide a unified data-carrying service for both circuit-based clients
and packet-switching clients which provide a Datagram Service Model. It can be used to carry
different kinds of traffic, including IP packets, as well as native ATM, SONET, and Ethernet
frames.
MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) data network provides connectivity that meets the
industry standards for consistent, secure and reliable data delivery. IP services would be
extended through carrier Ethernet access networks at all the POWERGRID (Telecom)
locations, inter-connected to MPLS-IP CORE network. All the offices, factories & business
locations of an enterprise can be networked to provide seamless connectivity for managed data
& voice services exclusively for the organizations. This saves considerable revenue on telecom
over & above virtually owning a telecom network. Three (3) tier architecture is planned:
 8 Core locations, 26 Edge locations & 82 access locations
 Two (2) routers planned at each of protected Sub-stations for NTAMC
 Main NOC at Delhi and DR-NOC at Hyderabad. MPLS Lab at NOC.
Page | 39
Contracts and Services
Power-Grid’s Telecom Company, Power-Tel follows a set of rules for awarding contracts and
providing services. These rules and procedures for work are put down in a book that is updated
every 2 years or when a high official calls for a change in the procedure. The book is called
“Work Policy and Procedure” and encompasses all the possible scenarios for contract
awarding and contract eligibility.
In-case of a change/modification in the book, proposed by a Staff of the company the higher
officials are notified and a committee is setup to look into the matter. The committee takes into
account all the scenarios and trends of the market, the competition and the company, finally
giving its final verdict.
The company generally follows a Two Envelope Tender awarding procedure for which
customers are required to qualify according to the terms and conditions set by the company’s
officials as per the guidelines of the “Work Policy and Procedure”.
Page | 40
Conclusion
The Training/Internship at Power-Grid, has been extremely Informative with regards to the
company’s utilization of Optic Fibre Technology. A detailed study on Optic Fibre, various
Maintenance and Installation Techniques, advantages and disadvantages of the Optic Fibre
and there types, has been completed. The company’s work procedure and network
management techniques have been were studied and experienced. The procedures followed
for tender awarding and contract policy following has also been studied.
In total the working procedures of the company and the ways in which it tackles its competition
in the market are really impressive and reflects the company’s intention of making a long term
presence in the market with a strong and firm foundation.
Page | 41
Bibliography
All Information in this project report has been taken from Wikipedia and other PowerPoint
presentations and Word Documents given by:
 Mr. Mukesh Rajput
 Mr. Sushil Kr. Shukla
 Mr. R.K. Singh
 Mrs. Archana Rajput
Page | 42
Acknowledgements
The project would not have been possible without the kind co-operation and assistance of the
following officials:
 Telecom Equipment and Familiarization: Mr. Mukesh Rajput.
 Fibre Management: Mr. Sushil Kr. Shukla.
 Marketing and Commerce: Mr. C.B. Tiwari & Mr. R.K. Singh.
 Contracts & Services: Mrs. Archana Rajput.
 Projects/NKN & Practical Session: Mr. J.K. Jalaj.
 Special Thanks to Mr. C.B. Tiwari for supervision and mentorship.
Page | 43

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POWER GRID CORPORATION OF INDIA LIMITED

(A Government of India Enterprise)

The Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID), is an Indian state-owned

We will become a Global Transmission Company with Dominant Leadership in Emerging

POWERGRID is playing a strategic role in Indian Power Sector development by establishing

Telecommunications Equipments are the hardwares used for the purposes of

 The Network Elements of SDH :

The broad two types of optical fibres are:

 Extremely high Bandwidth i.e. high information carrying capacity

Installation of OPGW requires some additional planning because it is impractical to splice an

 OTDR (Optical Time Domain

National Knowledge Network (NKN):

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