The above groups shall be interconnected and also controlled from the control

room through computerized control system (CCS). The type of interconnection

with remote equipment shall be through a reliable communication mode.

101. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 39 (7), the following Regulation 39 (7) shall
be deleted, namely:-

Provisions Required for Protection of Power House against Flooding

(7) -deleted-

CHAPTER IV

TECHNICAL STANDARDS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF SUB_STATIONS AND

SWITCHYARDS

PART-A

SUBSTATIONS AND SWITCHYARDS (66KV AND ABOVE)

102. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 41, the following Regulation shall
be substituted, namely:-

41. General- (1) The rated rupturing capacity of the circuit breaker to be installed
at any new sub-station or switchyard shall be at least 25% higher than the
calculated maximum fault level at the bus to take care of the increase in short
circuit levels as the system grows. The rated breaking current capability of
switchgear and breakers to be installed at different voltage levels, based on
available capacities of the breakers, shall be considered as shown in Table 6
below.
Table 6
66 kV 31.5 kA (for 1 sec.)
110/ 132 kV 31.5 kA or 40kA(for 1 sec.)
220 /230kV 40 kA or 50 kA (for 1 sec.)
400 kV 40 or 50 kA or 63 kA (for 1 sec.)
765 kV 40 or 50 kA (for 1 sec.)
1150kV 40 or 50 kA (for 1 sec.)

(2) If the fault level at a sub-station exceeds or is likely to exceed the permissible
fault level with the addition of more generators and termination of new
transmission lines, adequate measures to limit the fault level like
sectionalization/splitting of the sub-station bus or installation of series reactors on
the line or bus or installation of Fault Current Limiter (FCL) on Line or bus or
transformer or reactor at the respective sub-stations shall be resorted to. Suitable
care shall be taken to address the impact of the addition of the series reactors or
FCL on existing system based on system studies/dynamic simulations.

(3) The transformation capacity of any single sub- station for meeting loads at
different voltage levels shall not normally exceed the values indicated in Table 7
below.

Table 7
1150 kV 12000 MVA
765 kV 4500 9000 MVA
400 kV 1500 2000 MVA and 3000* MVA
220 / 230 kV 500 650 MVA
110/ 132 kV 150 250 MVA
66 kV 75 100 MVA
* Transformation capacity for switchyard associated with generating station

(4) The size and number of interconnecting transformers (ICTs) at a sub-

station shall be planned in such a way that the outage of any ICT (single three-
phase unit or bank of three single-phase units) does not overload the remaining
ICT(s) or the underlying transmission system.

(5) The location, layout, design and construction of the new installation shall
provide for automation and computerized coordinated operation through
supervisory control and data acquisition system (SCADA) and Energy
Management System and for future expansion.

(6) The sub-station or switchyard shall be designed and constructed to give a

life of not less than 25 35 years.

(7) The sub-station or switchyard shall have IEC-61850 based Substation

Automation System (SAS), Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition System
(SCADA) system and Energy Management System. The SAS Gateway shall be
capable of communicating with Load Dispatch Centre & backup Load Dispatch
Centre and Central Control Centre through more than one SCADA system over
IEC-60870-5-101/104 protocol (as applicable). To facilitate remote monitoring
and control of the substation, Visual Monitoring System may be implemented at
each substation. Remote Access System, to support remote configuration and
disturbance record extraction of numerical relays, may also be provided.

(8) Rated normal current of Switchgears (CB, Disconnector) and rated

primary current of CT at an ambient temperature of 50 oC shall normally be as
indicated in Table 7(a) below:

Table 7(a)
1150 kV 4000A
 765 kV 3150A

400 kV 3150A

220 / 230 kV 1600A

2000A
2500A
110/ 132 kV 1250A
1600A
2000A
66 kV 1250A
2000A

103. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 42, the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-

42. Design Considerations for Sub-stations and Switchyards

(1) The sub-station or switchyard can be a conventional / digital; air insulated sub-
station (AIS) or gas insulated sub-station (GIS) or hybrid substation or
combination thereof. The factors to be taken into account for designing sub-
stations shall be as under:

(a) The choice of site for a sub-station or switchyard shall be based on technical,
economic, geographic & environmental factors and overall life cycle cost.
The approximate location shall be determined on grid considerations. The
new substation shall enhance the operational flexibility, system reliability and
transmission or transformation capacity after becoming a part of the
network.

(b) Land area required shall be considered based on the present requirement
and the future expansion on a 10 to 15 years scenario.
(c) Reactive compensation as indicated by system studies shall be provided.
Requirement of installation of power compensating devices like shunt
capacitors, shunt reactors (bus reactors or line reactors), Controlled Shunt
Reactors (CSR), Static VAr Compensators (SVC), Static Synchronous
Compensators (STATCOM), Fixed Series Capacitor (FSC), variable series
capacitor(Thyristor Controlled or Thyristor Protected) or other Flexible AC
Transmission System (FACTS) devices shall be assessed through
appropriate system studies. The series compensation shall be fixed or
variable or a combination of both (partly fixed and partly variable). Similarly
shunt compensation shall be either switched or non-switched type.

(d) The selection of switching schemes shall be based upon requirements for
operational flexibility, system safety, reliability, availability, criticality of load,
maintainability and cost.

(2) Air insulated sub-stations (AIS)

(a) The switching schemes as per Table 8 shall generally be adopted at different
voltage levels in AIS depending on the importance of the installation.
Table 8

Main and transfer bus or double bus scheme 66 kV, 110 kV and
(with or without breaker bypass arrangement) 132kV
Double main and transfer bus scheme or double 220kV and 230kV
bus scheme (with or without breaker bypass
arrangement)
Breaker and a half scheme or double main and 400 kV, 765kV and
transfer bus scheme 1150 kV

(b) In case of AIS, bus-bars shall be either of the rigid type with tubular
aluminium bus conductor or flexible stranded conductor with aluminium
conductor steel reinforced (ACSR) or all aluminium alloy conductor
(AAAC) or other suitable conductors. The conductor of appropriate rating
and the number of conductors to be used in case of bundle conductors
shall be selected considering power flow requirements, corona effect and
ambient conditions. For the rigid bus-bar arrangement, aluminium pipes
conforming to relevant standard shall be used.

(c) Outdoor air insulated sub-station or switchyard shall be shielded against

direct lightning stroke strike by provision of overhead shield wire or
earthwire or spikes (masts) or any other new technology or a combination
thereof.
(3) Gas insulated sub- stations

(a) Gas insulated sub- station (GIS) installations shall generally be preferred
to conventional AIS as a techno-economic solution for locations where space
is a major constraint and also for seismic prone areas, and coastal areas,
high altitude areas and very heavily polluted areas. However, techno-
economic analysis, taking into consideration the life cycle cost, shall be done
to determine the preference for each GIS installation. The GIS shall comply
with relevant standards. The GIS installations shall be outdoor or indoor type.

(b) The switching scheme has a large impact on the total cost of the GIS and
shall be properly evaluated for a particular project. Single bus with or without
sectionalization and double main bus switching schemes shall be used.
Other types of switching schemes can also be considered based on techno-
economic analysis. The switching schemes as per Table 8a shall generally
be adopted at different voltage levels in GIS
 Table 8a

Main and transfer bus or double bus 66 kV, 110kV and

scheme 132kV
Double bus scheme 220kV and 230kV

Breaker and a half scheme 400 kV, 765kV and

1150 kV
Note: For 400 kV GIS associated with Hydro Electric Generating Plants,
Double Bus Scheme may also be adopted, if required.

(c) GIS shall be isolated phase or three phase non-magnetic enclosure type for
voltage less than 400kV. For 400kV and higher voltage levels, it shall be
isolated phase non-magnetic enclosure type.

(d) The arrangement of gas sections or compartments shall be such as to

facilitate future extension on either end without any drilling, cutting or welding
on existing equipment from any manufacturer and without the necessity of
moving or dislocating the existing switchgear bays or taking shutdown of bus
bar or bay, and to facilitate ease of maintenance and high voltage testing
without outage of healthy bays. The layout of Gas Insulated Bus Ducts shall
be properly planned to optimize the length of bus ducts and for easy
accessibility for maintenance.

(e) The design shall be such that all parts subjected to wear and tear are easily
accessible and removable for maintenance purposes. The equipment shall
be protected against all types of voltage surges as per IEC limits and shall
necessarily include any component or assembly required for this purpose.

(f) The length of busbars, bus ducts, isolator sections shall be optimized
considering effects of fast transient voltage due to isolator operations.

(g) The crane of suitable capacity shall be installed in GIS building for movement
of GIS Sections for maintenance.

(4) Hybrid sub-station- In a hybrid sub-station, the bus-bars shall be air

insulated type. Switchgear for a hybrid sub-station shall have some or all
functional units enclosed in SF6 gas insulated housing. A hybrid substation
would require less space than conventional AIS but more than GIS. A hybrid
sub-station can be considered as a techno-economic solution, taking into
consideration the life cycle cost, for locations where space is a constraint and
also for sub-station renovation or augmentation. A hybrid sub-station can be
outdoor or indoor type. The switching schemes as per Table 8 shall generally be
adopted at different voltage levels.
(4A)The use of GIS/hybrid switchgear in existing AIS substation can also be
considered to accommodate bay extensions.

(4B) Digital Substation: In order to improve efficiency, safety and system

visibility in the grid, utilities shall take steps to move from traditional substation
concept to new generation Digital Substations incorporating Intelligent Electronic
Devices (IEDs) with integrated information and communication technology using
fibre optic cables, Non-Conventional Instrument Transformers (NCIT) and
merging units that are interfaced with the process bus and station bus architecture
so as to reduce copper cable wirings and eliminate the dangers associated with
conventional Instrument Transformers and electrical hazards in general. The use
of conventional Instrument Transformers, Circuit Breakers and Disconnectors
with merging unit can also be considered for Digital Substation. The input for
revenue metering shall be as per Central Electricity Authority (Installation and
Operation of Meters) Regulations.

(4C) Mobile Substations:

The vehicle mounted mobile substation (comprising of trailer, incoming and

outgoing HV and LV hybrid switchgears, power transformer, and associated
connectors) should be considered for putting into immediate service as a quick
substitute to conventional substation of 220kV and below voltage class to resume
power supply in short time in case of emergency/natural or other disasters leading
to total collapse/disruption of power supply.

(5) The grounding system shall be designed for expected life of the substation for
rated fault current as indicated in Table 6 under Regulation 41. Earthing system
for the entire switchyard, equipment and buildings shall be provided in accordance
with relevant IS/ IEEE standards. The touch and step potential limits shall be
maintained within acceptable limits as per relevant IS/ IEEE standards. Special
consideration shall be given for GIS earthing design to handle high frequency
transients. The use of environmental friendly earthing enhancing compound /
material may also be considered, where soil resistivity is very high, to achieve the
objective of effective earthing system. Any other material as a better substitute to
charcoal and sand in earth pit may also be considered. Exothermic welding
technique may be adopted to have better contact between the electrodes used
for earthing. Condition assessment of earthing mat, earthing pits, earth rod,
surface layer material, and associated connections shall be carried out
periodically to ensure effectiveness of earthing system. To ensure safety, the step
and touch potential measurement within substation / switchyard shall be carried
out as per IEEE 80 for new installations and measurement shall be repeated for
old installation at regular interval and mitigation measures shall be taken if the
measured values are exceeding the safe limit.

(6) The switchyard or sub-station layout shall be decided with due consideration
to statutory safety requirements, ease of erection and maintenance etc. Safety
clearances shall be maintained in accordance with the Central Electricity Authority
(Measures relating to Safety and Electricity Supply) Regulations as and when
 these are notified by the Authority. The clearances shall be adequate for moving
portable equipment for maintenance and maneuvering personnel for carrying out
maintenance. Clearances from adjacent live parts shall be maintained for safety.

104. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 43, the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-

43. Salient Technical Particulars and Requirements of Sub-stations and

Switchyards
(1) System design parameters

(a) The system design parameters of sub-stations and switchyards shall be as

given below in Table 9.

Table 9 on next page

 Table 9

Nominal System 66 110 132 kV 220kV 400 765 1150 kV

Voltage kV kV kV kV
Parameter

Highest system 72.5 123 145 245 420 800 1200

voltage (kV)
Rated frequency 50Hz 50Hz 50Hz 50Hz 50 Hz 50Hz 50Hz
No. of phases 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
Rated insulation levels
(i) Lightning impulse 325 550 650 1050* 1425* 2100* 2400*
withstand voltage
(1.2/50 micro sec.)
(kVpeak)
(ii) Switching impulse - - - - 1050 1550 1800
withstand voltage
(250/ 2500 micro
sec.) dry and wet
(kVpeak)(phase to
earth)
(iii)One minute power 140 230 275 460 630 830 1200
frequency
withstand voltage
dry(kVrms)
Minimum corona - 78 105 156 320 508 762
extinction voltage
(kVrms phase to
earth)
Maximum Radio 500 1000 (at 1000 (at 2500 (at 1000 (at
Interference Voltage for (at 156 kV 320 kV 508 kV 762 kV
any frequency between 92 kV rms) rms) rms) rms)
0.5 MHZ to 2.0 MHZ in rms)
all positions (micro
volts)

System neutral Effectively earthed

earthing

* for windings of transformers and reactors refer Table 10.

Note: The above parameters are for installations at altitudes upto 1000m above mean
sea level (MSL). For higher altitudes, Insulation level requirements shall be kept higher
as per relevant standards.
 (b) The insulation level for the transformer and reactor windings and bushings shall
be as per Table 10 below.
Table 10

Windings Bushings
Rated Rated Rated Rated Rated Rated Rated
voltage power switching lightning power switching lightning
(Highest frequency impulse impulse frequency impulse impulse
voltage for withstand withstand withstand withstand withstand withstand
equipment voltage voltage voltage voltage voltage voltage
level) (kVrms) (kVpeak ) (kVpeak) (kVms) (kVpeak ) (kVpeak )
(phase to (phase
earth) to earth)
1200 kV 1800 2250 1200 1950 2550
800kV - 1550 1950 880 1550 2100
420kV - 1050 1300 630 1050 1425
1425
245kV 395 - 950 460 - 1050
1050
145kV 275 - 650 275 - 650
72.5kV 140 - 325 140 - 325
52kV 95 - 250 95 - 250
36kV 70 - 170 70 - 170
24 kV 50 - 125 50 - 125
17.5kV 38 - 95 38 - 95
12 kV 28 - 75 28 - 75
Note: The above parameters for bushings are for installations at altitudes upto
1000m above mean sea level (MSL). For higher altitudes, Insulation level
requirements shall be kept higher as per relevant standards.

105. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 43(2)(a)(i) to 43(2)(a)(iv) & 43(2)(a)(vi) ,
the following Regulation shall be substituted, namely:-

(2) Main equipment

(a) Power Transformers

(i) The transformers shall comply with relevant standards in general. The
transformers shall be of two winding type or autotransformers. Transformer
banks (formed out of single phase units) of 400 kV & above voltage class and 3
phase 5 or more limbed core transformer units only shall be provided with delta
tertiary windings, if required, of rating one third of HV rating provided there is no
other delta connected winding in the transformer. The transformers shall be
provided with on load tap changer (OLTC) as per power system requirement. In
case, transformers are to be provided with OLTC, the tap range shall be
optimized depending on system requirement.

(ii) At existing sub-stations, the impedance, vector groups, OLTC connection and
range etc. of a new transformer shall be matched with that of the existing
transformer(s). Interconnecting transformers provided with suitable OLTCs shall
be suitable for bi-directional flow of power. Noise level of transformer, when
energized at normal voltage and frequency with fans and pumps running and
measured under standard condition shall not exceed the values specified in
National Electrical Manufacturers' Association (NEMA) standard , USA.

(iii) In order to reduce the risk of spreading fire shall be provided with 'transformer
oil soak pits' filled with suitable size of gravels or pebbles below each transformer
with voids of capacity adequate to contain the total quantity of oil in the
transformer. Alternatively, common 'burnt oil pit' of adequate capacity (at least
equal to oil quantity in the largest size transformer) shall be provided for a group
of transformers, connected to all the soak pits of transformers with adequate size
of pipes for fast draining of oil or water from soak pits to the burnt oil pit. Every
soak pit below a Transformer shall be suitably designed to contain oil dropping
from any part of the transformer. The burnt oil pit, when provided, shall also be
provided with suitable automatic pumping facility, to always keep the pit empty
and available for an emergency.

(iii) An oil soak pit of adequate capacity shall be provided below each oil filled
transformer/reactor to accommodate 150% of full quantity of oil contained in the
transformer/reactor and minimum 300 mm thick layer of gravels or pebbles of
approximately 25 mm size. Alternatively, a soak pit of adequate capacity to
accommodate 1/3rd of total quantity of oil contained in the transformer/reactor
and minimum 300 mm thick layer of gravels or pebbles of approximately 25 mm
size shall be provided below each transformer/reactor provided a common
remote burnt oil pit of capacity at least equal to oil quantity in the largest size
transformer/reactor is provided for a group of transformers/reactors. Bottom of
the soak pit below the transformer/reactor shall be connected to the common
burnt oil pit with drain pipe of minimum 150 mm diameter for fast draining of oil
or water through gravity from soak pit to the burnt oil pit. Every soak pit below a
transformer/reactor shall be suitably designed to contain oil dropping from any
part of the transformer/reactor. The burnt oil pit and soak pit, when burnt oil pit is
not provided, shall be provided with suitable automatic pumping facility, to always
keep the pit empty and available for an emergency. The disposal of transformer
oil shall be carried out in an environmental friendly manner.

(iv) Separation walls or fire barrier walls shall be provided between the
transformers or reactors and also between transformer and reactors as per BIS
 guidelines Central Electricity Authority (Measures relating to Safety and Electric
Supply) Regulations. Separation walls or fire barrier walls of minimum 4 hours
fire resistance shall be provided between the transformer/reactor and nearby
building in case clear distance as specified in IS:1646 is not available and the
building is not suitable to withstand four (4) hour of continuous exposure to fire.

(vi) Short circuit withstand test shall be conducted on one unit of each type and
rating of transformers, if ordered quantity is more than 2 nos. of 3-phase
transformer or 6 nos. of single phase transformers of same type and rating, to
validate the design and quality unless such test has been successfully conducted
within last five ten years on transformer of same design and rating. In case there
is change in design before five years, the new transformer design shall be
validated by carrying out short circuit withstand test.

106. In the said Regulations, after the Regulation 43(2)(a)(vi), the following Regulation
43(2)(a)(vii) to 43(2)(a)(xii),shall be inserted, namely:-

(vii) Fibre Optic Sensors shall also be used for Hot spot monitoring of
winding/oil/core of transformers in addition to WTI/OTI for 400kV and above
voltage class transformers. Fibre Optic Sensors in addition to WTI/OTI may also
be considered, if required, for Hot spot monitoring of winding of 220 kV or below
voltage class transformers.

(viii) Natural air & oil and forced Air cooling (ONAN/ONAF1/ONAF2) can also be
considered as an alternative to natural air & oil, forced air & oil cooling
(ONAN/ONAF/OFAF) of transformer.

(ix) Fast De-pressurization system (operation based on rate of rise of pressure)

in addition to Pressure Relieve Device (PRD) (operating at a set static pressure)
may also be considered for installation on transformers.

(x) Resin Impregnated Paper (RIP) / Resin Impregnated Synthetic (RIS) bushings
can also be considered as an alternative to conventional Oil Impregnated Paper
(OIP) bushings.

(xi)Use of Environmentally friendly, bio-degradable K- class oil / Ester oil

(synthetic / Natural Ester) having higher fire point compared to mineral oil may
also be considered for transformers upto 400kV level depending upon
requirement.

(xii) No arcing horns shall be provided on any of the bushings of the transformer.

107. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 43(2)(b) to 43(2)(j), the following
Regulation shall be substituted, namely:-
(b) Reactive Compensation
(i) Shunt Reactors

Shunt reactors, wherever provided, shall comply with relevant standards in

general. Shunt reactors upto 420 kV rated voltage shall have linear voltage vs.
current (V/I) characteristics upto 1.5 per unit voltage. 800 kV Shunt reactors shall
have linear V/I characteristics upto 1.25 per unit voltage. If required, the neutral
of the line reactors shall be grounded through adequately rated neutral grounding
reactors to facilitate single phase auto-reclosure. The neutral of line reactors of
420 kV rated voltage shall be insulated to 550 kV peak for lightning impulse and
shall be protected by means of 145 kV class surge arresters of suitable rating in
case of line reactors of 420kV or 800kV rated voltage and the neutral of line
reactor of 800 kV rated voltage shall be insulated to 650 kV peak for lightning
impulse and shall be protected by means of 170 kV class surge arresters of
suitable rating. The neutral of bus reactor shall be solidly grounded. The Neutral
Grounding Reactor shall be provided with bypass arrangement through a breaker
so that the line reactor can be used as Bus reactor as and when required. In
case single phase shunt reactors are provided, then minimum one single phase
unit shall be provided as spare for entire substation or switchyard.

(ii) Shunt Capacitors

Capacitor banks of adequate rating shall be provided preferably at voltages

below 33kV and definitely not at voltages higher than 132kV. Suitable
redundancy shall be provided in the number of Capacitor units to avoid reduction
in reactive compensation due to failure of the Capacitor units. The objective shall
be to ensure that voltage received by the consumers remain within the
permissible limits.

(iii) Controlled Shunt Reactor (CSR)

As an alternative to Shunt Reactor, Controlled Shunt Reactor (CSR) having fast

response time can be considered, based on system studies, to provide
continuous variable Reactive Power support and reduced dynamic over voltage
resulting in improved voltage profile and increased power transmission. The CSR
shall comply with relevant IS/IEC. The CSR shall generally consist of Controlled
Shunt Reactor Transformer (CSRT), thyristor valves, controller, neutral
grounding reactor, necessary circuit breakers and other auxiliaries. The variable
reactive power support shall be provided by controlling firing angle of the thyristor
valves. Studies may be carried out to assess any requirement of harmonic filters.

(c) Circuit Breakers

(i) Circuit breakers shall comply with relevant standards. The circuit Breaker
shall be of live tank or dead tank design. The interrupting medium of circuit
breakers shall be SF6/vacuum/any other suitable gas or combination of gases.
CBs of 220kV and above voltage class shall be suitable for single phase and
three phase auto-reclosing. CBs of 132kV and below voltage class shall be
suitable for three-phase auto-reclosing. However, Circuit breakers of 110 /132kV
class shall be suitable for single phase auto- reclosing also, wherever required.
The circuit breaker shall be of class M2 with regard to mechanical endurance as
per IEC Standard. Each circuit breaker of 132 kV 66kV and above rating shall
be provided with 2 nos. of trip coils. Two sets of trip circuits shall be connected
to separate fuse or miniature circuit breaker (MCB) controlled DC supplies for
greater reliability. The circuit breaker shall have the provision for local manual trip
which shall be at a position easily accessible to the operating person. Maximum
rated break time for circuit breakers shall be as given in Table 11 below:

Table 11

1150 kV 50 ms
765 kV 40 45ms
400 kV 40 45ms
220 kV/ 230 kV 60ms
132 kV/ 110 kV 100 60 ms
66 kV 100ms

(ii) In accordance with the power system requirement, the circuit breakers of
400 kV and above class shall be provided with Pre insertion resistors (PIR) or
Controlled Switching Devices (CSD) for controlling switching over voltage on
lines of length more than 200 km. CSD can also be considered as a tool for
minimizing switching transients & inrush currents in 400kV and above voltage
class transformers and reactors thereby increasing the life of high voltage
equipment and enhancing Power system security. Due attention shall be given
to the operating time and mechanical scatter of CBs and grid condition at the
point of interconnection while going for use of CSDs. The CSD shall come into
picture only during energization or de-energization of associated Circuit Breaker
and shall remain bypassed otherwise.

(d) Disconnectors and Earthing Switches

The disconnectors and earthing switches shall comply with relevant standards.
Earthing switches shall be provided at appropriate locations to facilitate earthing
of outgoing transmission lines to enable maintenance. Main blades and earth
blades shall be interlocked with both electrical and mechanical means, which
shall be fail-safe, in case of AIS. In case of GIS, main blades and earth blades
shall be electrically interlocked alongwith mechanical padlock. AIS type
disconnectors for 220 kV and higher rating shall have provision for remote and
manual local operation. Disconnectors shall be suitable for Bus Transfer Current
Switching duty and M2 class duty as per IEC Standard. Earthing switches used
in double/ multi circuit lines for 132 110 kV and higher voltages shall be suitable
for induced current switching duty and shall be of Class B as per relevant
standard. Earthing switches shall be suitable for electrical and manual operation.
Only local operation is recommended for earth switches. High speed earth
switches for GIS installation shall have rated fault making capability. In case of
GIS installations, high speed earthing switches shall be provided for grounding
purpose at overhead line terminations & and also for cable terminations and shall
have rated fault making capability where cable length is long. AIS type
disconnectors for 220 kV and higher rating shall have provision for remote and
manual operation. AIS type disconnectors for 132kV and lower rating shall have
provision for manual operation and may also have provision for remote operation
as per requirement.

(e) Current Transformers

Current transformers shall comply with the relevant standards. The rated currents
and ratio, the number of secondary cores, accuracy class, burden, secondary
winding resistance, knee point voltage end excitation current shall be in
accordance with the requirements of the protection and metering system.
However, for metering core, burden shall not exceed 20 VA; Instrument Security
factor (ISF) shall be less than 5 for CTs upto 400 kV voltage class and less than
10 for CTs of 765 kV and 1150 kV voltage class. The accuracy class for metering
core shall be equal to or better than the accuracy class of the meter specified in
the Central Electricity Authority (Installation and Operation of Meters)
Regulations. Digital optical current transformers and SF6 current transformers
shall also be acceptable in place of conventional current transformers. Polymer
insulator may also be considered for CT housing.

(f) Voltage Transformers

Voltage transformers shall comply with the relevant standards. The number of
secondary cores, accuracy class and burden shall be in accordance with the
requirements of the protection and metering system. Rated burden shall be
nearest to the burden computed, however it shall not exceed 50 VA. The
accuracy class for metering core shall be equal to or better than the accuracy
class of the meter specified in the Central Electricity Authority (Installation and
Operation of Meters) Regulations. Voltage transformers can be either
electromagnetic type or capacitive type. Wherever PLCC is required, capacitor
type voltage transformers (CVT) complying with relevant standards shall be used
as the same are suitable for carrier coupling. The capacitance of CVT shall be
decided depending on PLCC requirements. Digital optical voltage transformers
shall also be acceptable in place of conventional voltage transformers. In case of
GIS installations, SF6 filled voltage transformers shall be electromagnetic type.

(g) Surge Arresters

Station class, heavy duty, gapless metal oxide (ZnO) type surge arresters
conforming to relevant standards in general shall be provided. The rated voltage,
continuous operating voltage (COV), energy handling capability, nominal
discharge current and other characteristics of a surge arrester shall be chosen in
accordance with power system requirements. Surge arresters shall be provided
at locations decided in accordance with insulation coordination studies. These
shall be fitted with pressure relief devices and diverting ports suitable for
preventing shattering of porcelain housing providing path for the flow of rated
currents in the event of failure of surge arrester. Arrester with composite insulator
housing with sufficient cantilever strength may also be used to prevent shattering
 during arrester failure. A leakage current monitor with surge counter shall be
provided with each surge arrester. GIS surge Arrester can also be considered for
GIS substation.

(h) Line Trap

A line trap, intended for insertion in a high voltage power transmission line
between the point of connection of carrier frequency signals and adjacent power
system elements such as bus bars, transformers etc., shall consist of a main coil
in the form of an inductor, a tuning device and a protective device and in
conjunction with a coupling capacitor, it shall form a parallel resonant circuit. The
tuning device shall be so arranged as to permit replacement without removing
the line trap. It shall be so designed that neither significant alteration in the line
trap blocking requirements nor physical damage shall result from either
temperature rise or the magnetic field of the main coil at rated continuous current
or rated short time current. The protective device shall be so designed and
arranged that neither a significant alteration in its protective function nor physical
damage shall result either from temperature rise or the magnetic field of the main
coil at rated continuous current or rated short time current.

(i) Insulators
The minimum specific creepage distances of insulators shall be 25 mm/kV line to
line voltage or 31 mm/kV line to line voltage depending on shall be decided for
the maximum pollution condition level in the area of installation., including any
transient conditions, causing different pollution levels. The minimum specific
creepage distances, as per relevant standard, shall be as indicated in Table 12
below.
Table 12
Pollution level Specific creepage distance
(mm/kV of line-to-line voltage)

Light 16
Medium 20
Heavy 25
Very heavy 31
(j) Insulation performance enhancement
In highly polluted areas, the performance of insulation of substation equipment
housing or insulators could be improved by using high temperature vulcanized
silicone rubber insulation with adequate cantilever strength or room temperature
vulcanized silicone rubber coating. To ensure quality, the silicone content in
Polymer insulator or RTV silicone coating shall be minimum 30%.

108. In the said Regulations, after the Regulation 43(2)(j), the following Regulation
43(2)(k) shall be inserted, namely:-
 (k) Phase Shift Transformers(PST)
Phase Shift Transformers (PST) can be planned to control real power flow in
transmission lines for better utilization of existing network. The rating, phase shift
angle and location shall be decided based on system studies. PST shall comply
with relevant IS/IEC. If a variable phase shift is desired, On Load Tap Changers
(OLTCs) are required. PST shall be provided with all necessary protection &
control systems. Suitable provisions may be provided for bypassing of PST, if
required.

109. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 43(3)(a), the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-

(3) Sub- station and switchyard support facilities

(a) AC & DC System:

(i) AC & DC supplies shall be provided as per requirements given in Central
Electricity Authority (Technical Standards for Connectivity to the Grid)
Regulations, . For computation of capacity of battery in attended sub- station or
switchyard, in general, the minimum durations assumed shall be as per Table 13
below.

Table 13

Where standby battery Where standby battery is

is provided not provided

Steady and continuous 3 hours 6 hours

load
Emergency lighting loads 1 hour 2 hours

(ii) AC and DC distribution system shall be so designed as to meet the present

and future requirement of the sub- station.

110. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 43(3)(b)(ii), the following Regulation shall
be substituted, namely:-

(ii) The transformers or reactors of 10 MVA and higher rating or oil filled
transformers or reactors with oil capacity of more than 2000 litres shall be
provided with automatic high velocity water spray system or Nitrogen gas
injection based fire protection system. Fire protection system for transformers or
reactors shall be provided as per Central Electricity Authority (Measures Relating
to Safety and Electric Supply) Regulations. The transformers or reactors of
220kV or higher voltage may preferably be provided with Nitrogen injection based
fire protection system in addition to automatic high velocity water spray system.
111. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 43(3)(d), the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-

(d) Control Room

Sub- station or switchyard control room shall be provided to house the control
and relay panels, PLCC equipment, Optical Line Terminal Equipment, telemetry
equipment and recording equipment, AC and DC distribution boards, DC
batteries etc. Air conditioning shall preferably be provided in the building as a
functional requirement. In case of substation or switchyard with automation
system with distributed architecture, Bay Control Units, intelligent electronic
devices (IEDs) including protective relays, PLCC panels may be provided in air
conditioned kiosks/buildings located in the switchyard.

112. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 43(4)(a), the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-

(4) Protection and control

(a) Protective Relaying System

Adequately sectionalized selective and graded protective relaying system shall
be provided for transmission lines, transformers and bus bars so as to
automatically isolate the faulty equipment and, thus, minimize the damage to the
equipment in the event of faults and abnormal conditions. All main protection
relays shall be of numerical type and communication protocol shall be as per
IEC-61850/ relevant IS. Any transmission element (line / transformer / reactor/
capacitor etc.) which has not been provided with required protection system shall
not be energized or connected to grid.

113. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 43(3)(d) to 43(3)(f), the following
Regulation shall be substituted, namely:-

(d) Disturbance Recorders, Event Loggers and Time Synchronization

Equipment- Each 765kV, 400 kV and 220 kV line of 66 kV and above voltage
class shall be provided with facility for disturbance recording, event logging,
distance to fault locator and time synchronizing equipment (TSE). Event logger
and disturbance recorder shall be provided either stand alone or as part of sub-
station or switchyard automation system shall be provided for each 66kV and
higher voltage class substation or switchyard upto 400 kV voltage class and as
standalone units for 765 kV and above voltage class substation or switchyard.
TSE complete with antenna, all cables, processing equipment etc., shall be
provided to receive synchronizing pulse through global positioning system (GPS)
compatible for synchronization of event logger, disturbance recorder, Phasor
Measurement Units (PMU) and SCADA/automation system of the sub- station or
switchyard.
 (e) Optical Ground Wire (OPGW)/Power Line Carrier Communication (PLCC)-
Power line carrier communication (PLCC) equipment complete for speech
transmission, line protection, and data channels shall be provided on transmission
line of voltage rating 220 kV and higher. The protection system for 400kV and
higher voltage transmission line and the line compensating equipment shall have
one hundred percent back up communication channels. Each 765kV or 400kV or
220kV line shall be provided with two protection channels in addition to one
speech plus data channel for each direction. In case of 220kV or 110/132kV lines,
the speech and data channel can also be used for protection wherever possible.
The generating company and the transmission licensee shall coordinate with each
other and ensure the compatibility of PLCC equipment at their respective ends.
Optionally, the above functionality may be achieved using wide band
communication based on optical ground wire (OPGW) or any other technology.
OPGW along with necessary terminal equipment shall be provided on
transmission lines of voltage rating 66 kV and above for speech transmission, line
protection, and data channels. In addition to OPGW, Power line carrier
communication (PLCC) may also be provided, wherever required. The protection
system for 400kV and higher voltage transmission line and the line compensating
equipment shall have one hundred percent back up communication channels i.e.
two protection channels in addition to one speech plus data channel for each
direction. In case of 220kV or below lines, the speech and data channel can also
be used for protection wherever possible. The generating company and the
transmission licensee / licensees at both end of substation / switchyard shall
coordinate with each other and ensure the compatibility of OPGW/PLCC
equipment at their respective ends.
(f) Control Concept- All the breakers in sub- stations and switching stations shall
be controlled and synchronized from the switchyard control room or control room
of the generating station. Disconnectors of 220kV and higher rating shall have
control from remote as well as local whereas the earth switches shall have local
control only. Disconnectors and associated earth switches shall be provided with
electrical as well as constructional mechanical interlocks. Provision for operation
of circuit breakers and disconnectors from remote control stations may also be
provided wherever required.

114. In the said Regulations, after the Regulation 43(3)(f), the following Regulation
43(3)(g) shall be inserted, namely:-

(g) Phasor Measurement Units (PMU)

Synchrophasor measurement using PMUs alongwith fibre optic connectivity and
communication equipment shall be provided for monitoring the entire
interconnected grid on real time basis on substations at 400 kV and above level
and switchyard of generating stations at 220 kV and above level. The dispersedly
located PMUs shall communicate with Phasor Data Concentrators (PDCs)
installed at certain strategic locations at State, Regional and National level.
115. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 43(5)(a) & 43(5)(a)(i), the following
Regulation shall be substituted, namely:-

(5) Power and Control Cables cabling

(a) Cables shall be Flame Retardant, Low Smoke and Halogen (FR-LSH) type
as per relevant IS/ IEC. For laying of cables a broad based system involving cable
galleries, trenches, cable racks, shafts, cable sealing system etc. shall be
provided. In outdoor switchyards, a cable trench system shall be provided. The
main considerations and practices shall be:

(i) A comprehensive philosophy of segregation and proper spacing shall be

maintained- control and power cables shall be laid in separate trays; Power
cables and control cables shall be laid on separate tiers. The laying of different
voltage grade cables shall be on different tiers according to the voltage grade of
the cables with higher voltage grade cables in topmost tier and control cables in
bottommost tier.

116. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 44, the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-

44. Salient Technical Particulars/ Requirements of High Voltage Direct

Current (HVDC) Terminals Stations- The design parameters given at
Regulation 43 (1) shall be applicable for the AC equipment installed in the HVDC
terminal station to be developed for bulk power transfer over long distances or
asynchronous connections (back to back) between areas operating with different
frequency regimes. The system parameters given for 400 kV or 220 kV or 132 kV
AC system shall be applicable for the commutation voltage for both HVDC back
to back and HVDC long distance Transmission systems. The life of HVDC
installation (s) shall not be less than 35 years. Line Commuted Converter (LCC)
based Technology or Voltage Source Converter (VSC) based technology or
combination of both can be adopted for HVDC transmission, based on Techno-
Economic assessment on case to case basis. The interfacing with the DC line
(overhead / cable), existing AC network, Telecommunication network, Load
dispatch center shall be properly planned and designed. Technical details of
HVDC terminals/ stations for Line Commuted Converter (LCC) based technology
and Voltage Source Converter (VSC) based technology are given in Schedule-
VI.

117. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 45, the following Regulation shall be
deleted since these provisions have been incorporated under Schedule VI,
namely:-

45. Electrical and Mechanical Auxiliaries for HVDC system - (1) One DG
set of adequate capacity with auto start facility shall be provided per pole as
emergency backup. Batteries and battery chargers shall be provided for
auxiliaries, DC power supplies, valve hall ventilation systems, etc.. Other
 electrical auxiliaries provided shall include illumination, public address and
communication system, UPS etc. The mechanical auxiliaries shall include air
conditioning, ventilation systems, fire fighting including very early smoke detector
acquisition (VESDA) system for valve hall, water supplies, etc.

(2) All auxiliaries shall give full output at voltage variation of ±10% and frequency
variation of -5% to +3%. Deleted

118. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 46, the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-

46. Condition Monitoring of Equipment, Asset Management and security of

Sub- station and Switchyard Equipment - Diagnostic equipment shall be
provided to assess the health of various equipment in substations and
switchyards of 132 66kV and higher voltages. On-line diagnostic equipment shall
be dedicated type for those critical equipment (transformer, reactor, circuit
breaker) the health of which is to be monitored continuously. Portable type on-line
diagnostic equipment and off-line diagnostic equipment shall be provided for one
or a cluster of substations or switchyards, depending upon the size of the
substations or switchyards. The diagnostic equipment shall include dissolved gas
analyzer, winding resistance meter, and frequency response analyzer for
transformers and reactors, capacitance and tan-delta measuring units for
transformers, reactors and instrument transformers, circuit breaker analyser
including dynamic contact resistance meter, and leakage current monitor for
surge arrester, Partial Discharge monitoring for GIS of 400 kV and above voltage
class; Thermovision camera for thermal scanning, corona camera, devices for
monitoring Power Quality, and relay testing kit. Other necessary diagnostic
equipment may be provided at the discretion of the Owner.
Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) / Reliability Centered Maintenance(RCM)
Practice shall be followed for condition assessment of all substation equipment.
Health indexing of transformer (s) / reactor (s) based on various indicators derived
through condition based analysis shall be carried out for taking Run / Refurbish /
Replacement decision. Asset management practices shall be adopted to manage
asset information (such as serial/identification no., make, year of
manufacturing/commissioning, technical and other relevant parameters) &
operation performance; and plan, through latest scientific techniques, to optimize

maximize the efficiency and utilization of capital intensive assets.

The provisions for monitoring of substation security such as cameras, motion
sensors, perimeter protection etc. along with associated software shall form part
of smart security system of un-manned substations.
 PART B: SUB- STATIONS (33/11 kV, 33/22kV AND 22/11kV)

119. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 47 Table 14, the following Regulation shall
be substituted, namely:-

Table 14

Parameter 33 kV 22 kV 11kV
Nominal system 33 22 11
voltage(kV)
Highest system 36 24 12
voltage(kV)
System earthing Effectively Effectively Effectively
earthed earthed earthed
system system system
Frequency (Hz) 50 50 50
Lightning impulse 170 125 75
withstand voltage
(kVpeak)
Power frequency 70 50 28
withstand voltage (dry)
(kVrms)

120. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 48(2), 48(3), 48(5) & 48(6) the following
Regulation shall be substituted, namely:-

(2) The sub-station shall be indoor/ outdoor or underground type depending

upon the site requirement. The sub-station shall be either air insulated (AIS) or
gas insulated (GIS) or hybrid as the case may be.

(3) The sub-stations in urban areas shall be provided with Supervisory Control
and Data Acquisition (SCADA) System for system monitoring and control. A
suitable Transformer Health Monitoring system may be provided for monitoring
the health of power transformers.

(5) The maximum capacity of 33/11 kV or 33/22 kV or 22/11 kV sub-station shall

generally be 60 MVA, 40 MVA and 40 MVA respectively. However, higher
capacities of sub-stations up to 100 MVA may also be used keeping in view the
parameters of the interconnected system including capacities of the lines,
switchgears, other equipment, fault current and also the impact on the technical
losses etc.

(6) Each 33/11 kV or 33/22 kV or 22/11 kV sub-station shall normally have two
or more transformers and two incoming feeders preferably from two different
sources.
121. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 50(1) the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-

(1) The incoming and outgoing feeders shall be on multi circuit towers to
minimize the Right of Way requirement.

122. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 54(3), 54(5), 54(6), 54(10), 54(13), 54(14)
& 54(16) the following Regulation shall be substituted, namely:-

(3) The preferred ratings for 33/11 kV or 33/22 kV or 22/11 kV transformers

shall be 1,1.6,3.15, 5, 6.3, 8, 10, 12.5,16, 20 and 25 MVA

(5) The transformer can be oil filled, gas filled or dry type depending on
requirement and as per Central Electricity Authority( Measures relating to Safety
and Electricity Supply) Regulations as amended up to date . Outdoor dry-type
transformer may be non-ventilated type.

(6) Transformers shall withstand, without injurious heating, combined voltage and
frequency fluctuations which produce the over fluxing conditions as: 125% for 1
minute, 140% for 5 seconds and 150% for 1 second.

(10) On load tap changing (OLTC) device shall be provided with transformers of
3.15 MVA and higher rating for better voltage control by manual and automatic
and as per Central Electricity Authority( Measures relating to Safety and means.
A transformer with on-load tap changer shall have taps ranging from (+) 5% to
(-) 15% in steps of 1.25 % each on 33 kV or 22 kV winding for voltage variation.

(13) Transformers shall be separated from one another and from all walls and
partitions to permit free circulation of air complying with requirements of relevant
IS Electricity Supply) Regulations as amended up to date.

(14) 33 kV voltage rating transformers shall be separated from one another by a

fire wall as per Central Electricity Authority( Measures relating to Safety and
Electricity Supply) Regulations as amended up to date

(16) A transformer shall be physically checked and tested for its electrical and
mechanical performance characteristics as per relevant Indian standards before
commissioning.

123. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 55(4) the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-

(4) Aluminium/Copper used for bus-bars shall conform to relevant IS.

124. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 56(4) the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-

(4) The minimum creepage distances for different pollution levels shall be as per
Table: IV-6 at Regulation 43.

125. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 58(2) the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-

(2) In the areas where problem of insulator pollution is expected (such as near
sea or thermal power station, railway station, industrial area, etc.) special
insulators viz. semi conducting glazed porcelain or polymer insulators with
higher leakage resistance and creepage distance shall be used to minimize
the flashover. The special coating like Room Temperature Vulcanized (RTV)
coating may also be used on the insulators in polluted areas as per
requirement.

126. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 59(1) the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-

(1) Circuit breakers (CBs) shall comply with the provisions of relevant IS.
The circuit breakers shall be SF6 or vacuum type. Normally vacuum type
circuit breakers shall be used for voltage levels of 33 kV and below. The
rated voltage for the circuit breakers shall be 36 kV, 24kV and 12 kV for 33
kV, 22kV and 11 kV systems respectively.

127. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 60(1) & 60(5) the following Regulation shall
be substituted, namely:-

(1) The isolators shall be of adequate capacity as per requirement and shall
comply with relevant IS. The rated current shall be at least 630 A at 36 kV and 24
kV. For 11 kV system, isolating switches of 400 Amps at 12 kV shall be used.
The isolators shall be gang operated type.

(5) The earthing switch shall be capable of withstanding short circuit current
for short duration as applicable to the corresponding isolator. Earthing switches
shall be motor operated and suitable for manual operation.

128. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 61(1) & 61(4)(a) the following Regulation
shall be substituted, namely:-

(1) The control and relay panels for incoming feeders, outgoing feeders, bus
bars, power transformers and all other equipment installed in the sub-station like
switch-gears, instrument transformers and capacitors etc. shall conform to
relevant Indian Standards. In case Indian standards are not available, then
conform to relevant International Standards.
 (4) The panel shall be provided with:
(a) Suitable numerical over current and earth fault relays to protect the
equipment and system against short circuit current and earth fault current.

The relays shall conform to relevant IS. All relays used shall be suitable for
operation with CTs of secondary rated for 1 Amp or 5 Amps.

129. In the said Regulations, after the Regulation 61(4), the following Regulation 61(5)
shall be inserted, namely:-

(5) The overall protection system of transformers and feeders would be as per
Central Electricity Authority (Measures relating to Safety and Electricity Supply)
Regulations as amended up to date.

130. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 62(2), the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-

(2) Distribution class, heavy duty, gapless metal oxide (ZnO) type surge
arresters in general shall be provided on the buses, high voltage and low voltage
sides of all transformers and on the incoming terminations of 33 kV/22 kV lines.
The Surge arresters shall conform to relevant IS/IEC.

131. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 63(1)(e), 63(2)(c) & 63(2)(f), the following
Regulation shall be substituted, namely:-

(1) Current transformers (CTs)

(e)The accuracy class for metering core shall be equal to or better than the
accuracy class of the meter specified in the Central Electricity Authority
(Installation and Operation of Meters) Regulations , as amended up to date..

(2) Voltage transformers (VTs)

(c) Voltage transformers shall be of electromagnetic type or solid state type.
(f) The accuracy class for metering core shall be equal to or better than the
accuracy class of the meter specified in the Central Electricity Authority
(Installation and Operation of Meters) Regulations as amended upto date.

132. In the said Regulations, after the Regulation 64(3), the following Regulation 64(4)
& 64(5) shall be inserted, namely:-

(4) Operation & Maintenance manuals, recording instruments, layout drawing,

Single Line Diagram and Safety manual/guidelines should be available in the
control room.
(5) A separate room for Substation Batteries shall be provided with adequate
ventilation and exhaust fan for taking out fume gases.
133. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 65(2), the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-

(2) Earthing shall be carried out in accordance with relevant IS and Central
Electricity Authority (Measures relating to Safety and Electricity Supply)
Regulations as amended upto date.
134. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 66(2) & 66(9), the following Regulation
shall be substituted, namely:-

(2) Capacitors, the residual voltage transformer and neutral current transformer
shall be as per relevant IS.

(9) In cases of sub-stations loaded with highly fluctuating loads like arc furnaces
etc., flickers and voltage regulation problems shall be overcome by installation
of static var compensators (SVC) or Statcom.

135. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 67(2), the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-

(2) Power cables shall be XLPE insulated, PVC sheathed type conforming to
relevant IS. Cables shall be flame retardant low smoke (FRLS)/Low Helogen type.
Cables shall be de-
and soil resistivity as per IS. Proper attention shall be given to ventilation/heat
dissipation aspects particularly in case of HV cables.

136. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 68(1), the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-
(1) A dedicated & reliable telecommunication system based on radio
frequency (RF), cellular/mobile technology fiber optics, satellite communication,
PLCC, any other new communication technology or a combination of these shall
be provided, besides usual public communication and local Public Address (PA)
system.
137. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 69, the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-

Automation System - State-of-art systems such as supervisory control and data

acquisition system (SCADA), and data acquisition system (DAS) shall preferably
be provided in the 33 kV or 22 kV sub-stations, associated feeders and distribution
transformers for improving the operational flexibility, minimizing restoration time
of power supply and preventing overloading of lines and transformers in real time
mode. Adequate cyber security measures should be ensured in SCADA and DAS.
A suitable Transformer Health Monitoring system can also be provided for
monitoring the health of power transformers.
138. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 70(2)(a), 70(3) & 70(5), the following
Regulation shall be substituted, namely:-

(2) Battery

(a) The 24V/ 30V/ 48V/110 V/220 V DC batteries shall be stationary lead acid
or nickel cadmium or any other new technology type and shall operate
satisfactorily under normal prevalent ambient conditions. The capacity and
discharge rate shall be as per the load requirement.

(3) Battery charger- The battery chargers shall be automatic float cum
booster type. The battery charger shall be capable of continuous operation at the
rated load in float charging mode. The charger in boost charging mode shall be
capable of boost charging the associated DC battery at the desired rate.

(5) Oil and SF6 evacuating, filtering, testing and filling apparatus- Oil and
SF6 filling, evacuation, filtering and testing plants with adequate storage facilities
along with requisite operation and maintenance (O&M) tools and plants shall be
provided for a cluster of sub- stations as per requirement.

139. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 71, the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-

Fencing and Approach Arrangement- Fencing/ boundary wall of suitable

height shall be provided around the sub- station. A metalled approach road to
transport the equipment should be provided leading from the main road.

140. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 72(2), the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-

(2) DC emergency lighting- Emergency lighting operated on the DC system

shall be provided in strategic locations viz. control room, battery room, passages
etc. It should be ensured to provide separate DC battery bank for emergency

system is not used for emergency lighting to avoid the draining of the main battery
bank.

141. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 73(2), the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-
(2) Fire hydrant, carbon dioxide (CO2) type fire extinguisher or dry chemical
powder type fire extinguisher conforming to relevant IS shall be provided as per
site requirement. The fire fighting system at 33/11 KV ,33/22 kV & 22/11kV Sub
stations shall be as per Central Electricity Authority (Measures relating to Safety
and Electricity Supply) Regulations as amended upto date.
PART C: DISTRIBUTION SUB-STATIONS (33/0.4 KV, 22/0.4 KV AND 11/0.4 KV)

142. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 74(1), Table 15, the following Regulation
shall be substituted, namely:-

Table: 15

Parameter 33 kV 22 kV 11kV 0.415 kV

Nominal system 33 22 11 0.415
voltage(kV)
Highest system 36 24 12 0.450
voltage(kV)
System earthing Effectively Effectively Effectively Effectively
earthed earthed earthed earthed
system system system system
Frequency (Hz) 50 50 50 50
Lightning impulse 170 125 75 -
withstand voltage
(kVpeak)
Power frequency 70 50 28 3
withstand voltage
(dry) (kVrms)

143. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 74(2) & 74(3), the following Regulation
shall be substituted, namely:-

(2) The distribution sub- stations (DSS) shall normally be located near load
center.

(3) The DSS can be indoor or outdoor type. The sub-station can be constructed
underground where there is paucity of space or for supply to underground
installations ensuring that water should not enter the DSS and all safety
measures are taken. DSS in flood prone areas shall be above the expected
water level during flood.

144. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 75(1) & 75(2), the following Regulation
shall be substituted, namely:-

(1) The transformer shall conform to relevant IS and shall be IS marked.

(2) The transformer can be oil filled, or dry type depending on requirements
and shall be as per the Central Electricity Authority (Measures relating to Safety
and Electricity Supply) Regulations as amended up to date.

145. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 75(4)(b) & 75(4)(c), the following
Regulation shall be deleted, namely:-
 75(4)(b) - deleted
75(4)(c) - deleted

146. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 75(4)(d) &75 (5), the following Regulation
shall be substituted, namely:-

(d) The maximum losses for dry type transformers shall not be more than the
values specified in latest Energy Conservation Building Code(ECBC) of BEE till
Indian Standards(IS) for dry type transformer are published. Afterward, the
maximum losses for dry type transformers shall be as per relevant Indian
Standards.

(5) The transformer may be single phase or three phase. The cooling shall be
ONAN/KNAN for oil filled transformers.

147. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 75(7), the following Regulation shall be
deleted, namely:-

75(7) - deleted

148. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 78(1), the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-

(1) Surge arresters shall normally be installed on the high voltage side of the
transformer connected to overhead lines. Surge arrester shall also be provided
on the low voltage side in areas of high isoceraunic activity. Surge arresters shall
be as per relevant IS.

149. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 79(4), the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-

(3) The capacity of lugs for cables, connecting strips, bus bars shall be as per
requirement. All the fittings shall be as per relevant IS.

150. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 80, the following Regulation shall be
inserted before 80(1), namely:-

Protection System - The protection system of transformers would be as per

Central Electricity Authority (Measures relating to Safety and Electric Supply)
Regulations as amended up to date.

151. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 81(1), the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-

(1) Pipe earthings or rod earthing shall preferably be provided for the DSS
complying with relevant Indian Standards and Central Electricity Authority
 (Measures relating to Safety and Electric Supply) Regulations as amended
upto date and 3 earth pits with three grounding electrodes shall be provided.

152. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 82(1), the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-

(1) The adequate size of XLPE cables shall be used for connecting LT supply
from transformer bushings to the LT circuit breaker in the distribution box
and for taking out outgoing feeders from the fuse units to the overhead lines.
These cables shall be as per relevant IS and IS marked.

153. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 83(2), the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-

(2) The installation of meters shall be in conformance to the Central Electricity

Authority (Installation and Operation of Meters) Regulations, 2006 as amended
upto date..

CHAPTER V
TECHNICAL STANDARDS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF ELECTRIC LINES

PART- A
ELECTRIC LINES (66 KV AND ABOVE)
154. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 86(2), the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-

(2) The Owner shall ensure tie-up arrangements which are necessitated by the
proposed installation and which must be carried out simultaneously by other
entities before the new installation is commissioned and connected to the power
system. The owner connecting installation shall abide by the Central Electricity
Authority (Technical Standards for Connectivity to the Grid) Regulations, 2007.

155. In the said Regulations, after the Regulation 87(3), the following Regulation 87(4)
& 87(5) shall be inserted, namely:-

(4) Towers of any overhead line of 66kV and above voltage class shall be
designed for at least Double circuit configuration. Multi-circuit towers (more than
two circuits) for 400kV transmission line shall preferably be used in approach
section of substation / switchyard.
 (5) The upgradation of existing AC transmission line to higher voltage AC line
with multi circuits line/ multi circuits multi voltages line / compact AC line or HVDC
line (VSC/LCC based) and uprating by use of new generation High Temperature
Low Sag (HTLS) / High Ampacity conductors may be planned for enhancement
of power flow per unit (per meter) of Right of Way (RoW), reduction in losses and
for addressing growing congestion in existing corridor of transmission network
and RoW problems.

156. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 89(1)(a)(i)) & 89(1)(a)(iii), the following
Regulation shall be substituted, namely:-

(i) The design parameters of the transmission lines for altitude upto 1000
m above mean sea level (MSL) shall be as indicated in Table 16 below:

Table 16

Parameter 66 132 220 400 765 +500 +800 1150 kV

kV kV kV kV kV kV DC kV AC
AC AC AC AC AC HVDC
Nominal 66 132 220 400 765 500 800 1150
voltage
(kV)
Highest 72.5 145 245 420 800 525 840 1200
system
voltage (kV)
Full wave 325 650 1050 1550 2400 1800 1800 2400
Lightning
impulse
withstand
voltage
(1.2/50
micro
sec)(kVpeak)
Power 140 275 460 680 830 - - 1200
frequency
withstand
voltage
under dry
condition
(kVrms)
Switching - - - 1050 1550 1000 1600 1800
surge
withstand
voltage
under wet
condition
(kVrms)

Minimum - - 156 320 510 550 880 762

corona 610
extinction
voltage
under dry
condition
(kVrms
phase to
earth)
Maximum - - 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000
radio (at (at 762kV
(at (at (at (at 550 880kV) rms)
interference
156 320 610 kV )
voltage
kV kV kV
(micro volts)
rms) rms) rms)
at 1 MHz for
phase to
earth
voltage of ...
kV under
dry
condition
(micro volts)

(iii) The phases of AC transmission lines shall be transposed, when the

length of the line is more than 100 km or if required as per system studies
depending upon the length of the line, in approximately three equal parts.

157. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 89(1)(b) & 89(1)(c), the following
Regulation shall be substituted, namely:-

(b) Conductor

(i) The conductor of appropriate size shall be selected considering power

flow requirements and other system considerations in consultation with
neighbouring transmission and generation utilities. For transmission lines of
400 kV or higher voltage class, , bundle conductor Minimum two conductors
per phase for 400 kV AC and minimum four conductors per phase for +/- 500
kV HVDC and 765 kV single circuit AC, minimum six conductors per phase for
765kV Double Circuit AC and +/- 800kV HVDC and minimum eight conductors
per phase for 1200kV AC shall be used for satisfactory performance of
transmission lines from corona and interference aspects.
 (ii) The conductors may be of type aluminum conductor steel reinforced
(ACSR), all aluminum alloy conductor (AAAC) or Aluminium Alloy Conductor
Steel Reinforced (AACSR) or other new technology conductor including High
Temperature and Low Sag (HTLS) / High Ampacity conductors conforming to
relevant IS or IEC or other international standards and specifications depending
on system requirements.

(c) Earthwire- The earthwire of appropriate size to cater to predicted and

design fault currents and lightning shall be used. Generally, one earthwire shall
be used for transmission lines up to 220 kV and two earthwires shall be used
for transmission lines of 400 kV and higher voltage classes. The earthwire
used in 66kV and above voltage class lines shall be OPGW. In case of 400kV
and above voltage class lines, at least one out of two earthwires shall be OPGW
and second earthwire shall be either of galvanized stranded steel (GSS) or
alternatively ACSR or AACSR conductor type. OPGW shall comply with
provisions of Regulation 43(4)(e).

158. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 89(1)(d)(i)(A) & 89(1)(d)(i)(D), the following
Regulation shall be substituted, namely:-

(d) Towers

(i) General- (A) The towers shall be self-supporting lattice steel type and
shall be a fully galvanised structure. Alternatively, guyed or pole structure
towers may also be used. The use of narrow base lattice structure or steel
monopole structure shall also be considered wherever required.

(D) Ground clearance shall be as per requirements of Central Electricity

Authority (Measures relating to Safety and Electricity Supply) Regulations as
and when these are notified by the Authority.

159. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 89(1)(d)(ii)(C) & 89(1)(d)(ii)(D), the
following Regulation shall be substituted, namely:-

(ii) Design of towers

(C) The loads at conductor and earthwire attachment points under different
loading conditions viz. reliability conditions (normal condition), security
conditions (broken wire condition), safety conditions, anti-cascading condition
etc. (as per relevant IS or IEC Standards) considering various combinations of
design temperatures, wind and snow loads shall be calculated and
tower designs developed accordingly.

(D) Reliability level 1 corresponding to 50 year return period design loads

due to wind as per relevant IS shall be considered for design of towers for
transmission lines upto 400 kV. For higher voltage level transmission lines,
reliability level 2 corresponding to 150 year return period wind loads shall be
 considered. Triple and quadruple circuit towers and towers with more than two
sub- conductors per phase upto 400 kV shall be designed corresponding to the
reliability level 2 (150 year return period).

160. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 89(1)(d)(iii)) & 89(1)(d)(vi), the following
Regulation shall be substituted, namely:-

(iii) Materials

Mild steel and high tensile steel sections of tested quality in conformity with
relevant IS shall be generally used in towers and their extensions. Other
equivalent grade of structural steel angle sections and plates conforming to
International Standards may also be used. Fasteners, bolts and nuts shall be
generally as per relevant IS.

(vi) Earthing
Each tower shall be earthed such that tower footing resistance does not exceed
10 ohms. Pipe type or Counterpoise type earthing shall be provided in
accordance with relevant IS.

Additional earthing shall be provided on towers after every 7 to 8

kms distance for direct earthing of shield wires.

161. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 89(1)(e)(i)) & 89(1)(e)(ii), the following
Regulation shall be substituted, namely:-

(e) Foundations

(i) Depending upon soil parameters and site conditions, economy and
feasibility of construction at site, appropriate type of foundations (viz. open cast,
pile, well or other alternative types) shall be considered for transmission line
towers.

(ii) The design of foundations shall be as per applicable Indian Standards

and Codes. Structural design of foundations shall be done by limit state method
with minimum overload factor as 1.1. The minimum factor of safety for design
of pile or well foundations shall be 2.5 as per relevant IS.

162. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 89(1)(f)(i)) & 89(1)(f)(ii), the following
Regulation shall be substituted, namely:-

(f) Insulators, Insulator Strings and Hardware Fittings

(i) Requisite type of suspension and tension insulator strings with disc
insulators or long rod insulators offering equivalent performance shall be used.
 Number of insulators and creepage Distance shall be selected based on
electrical system parameters and requirements taking into account other
factors and conditions viz. line attitude, expected environmental and pollution
conditions etc. However, for critical locations with high pollution level, antifog
type insulators or polymer insulators may be used for better performance. For
voltage levels upto 400kV, The minimum specific creepage distances of
insulators shall be selected from Table 12 at Regulation 43 25 mm/kV line to
line voltage or 31 mm/kV line to line voltage based on the pollution level site
requirement in the area of installation. For 765kV, specific creepage distance
shall be decided judiciously by the Owner. For all power line crossings,
railways/ river crossings or a telecommunication line crossing, either Room
Temperature Vulcanized (RTV) silicone coated porcelain/glass insulator or
polymer insulators shall be used.

(ii) Insulators shall generally conform to relevant IS or IEC standards. Polymer

or composite insulators conforming to relevant IEC or other international
standards may also be used. Insulators for HVDC lines shall be of anti-fog type
having sacrificial zinc sleeve. These shall generally conform to relevant IEC
standard. Room Temperature Vulcanized (RTV) silicone coated porcelain /
glass insulators shall also be considered as an alternative to polymer or
composite insulators to improve flashover performance. Corona rings shall be
provided with all polymer insulator strings for 220kV and above voltage class
lines. To ensure quality, the silicone content in Polymer insulator or RTV
silicone coating shall be minimum 30%.

163. In the said Regulations, after the Regulation 89(1)(g), the following Regulation
89(1)(h) shall be inserted, namely:-

(h) Line Surge Arresters

Non-Gapped Line Arresters (NGLA) can be considered to reduce back
flashovers, the stress on substation equipment due to incoming travelling
waves and to provide protection against shielding failure. Use of these arresters
can also be considered for voltage uprating of transmission line in order to
reduce the phase to phase clearances and the length of the insulator strings.
The Line Surge Arresters shall conform to relevant IEC/IS.

164. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 89(2)(a), 89(2)(b) & 89(2)(d), the following
Regulation shall be substituted, namely:-

(2) Transmission line construction

(a) Crossing of a transmission line with roads or a railway or a river or a

power line or a telecommunication line shall be finalized as per applicable rules
& regulations specified by the concerned authorities. The towers, with required
body extension to maintain adequate safety clearance, on either side of
crossing of the power line of 400kV and above voltage class transmission line
shall be designed for dead end condition with large angle towers of deviation
 angle of 30-60 degree. The crossing of Power lines below 400kV and upto
110kV class shall be done with tension towers with required body extension to
maintain adequate safety clearance and the crossing of Power lines of 66kV
class shall be done with any type of towers (suspension / tension towers) with
required body extension to maintain adequate safety clearance. If required, the
removal of the overhead Ground wire from section of the existing transmission
line, over which the new transmission line is to cross, and providing diamond
arrangement of earthwires may be considered to reduce the height of the body
extension required for crossing the existing line. In such cases, the use of line
surge arrester as an alternative to diamond arrangement of earthwires may
also be considered to provide protection against direct lightning strike.

(b) Clearances form ground, buildings, roads, power lines, telecommunication

lines etc. shall be provided in conformity with Central Electricity Authority
(Measures Relating to Safety and Electricity Supply) Regulations as and when
these are notified by the Authority.

(d)Normal design span for various voltage level transmission lines shall
generally be as indicated in the Table 17 below:

Table 17
Voltage (kV) Normal design span
(metres)
+ 800 HVDC 350 to 450
+500 HVDC 350 to 450
765, 1200 AC 400,450 350 to
450
400 AC 400 350 to
450
220 AC 335,350,375 325
to 400
132 AC 315,325,335 300
to 350
66 AC 240,250,275 200
to 300

The normal design span of monopole/narrow base structure for all voltage class
AC transmission lines shall be reduced in order to reduce the weight of
structure.

165. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 89(3)(b), the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-
 (b) For condition assessment of conductors, clamps, connectors, insulators
etc., provision for on- line or off- line diagnostic tools and equipment shall be
made. On- line tools shall include thermo-vision camera for detection of hot
spots, corona camera and live line punctured insulator detector. Off- line tools
shall include insulation resistance measuring instrument and contact resistance
measuring instrument. The off line fault locator or travelling wave based fault
locator or both shall be used for locating the transmission line faults more
accurately. Transmission line tower footing impedance measuring tool shall
also be included as one of the diagnostic tools. Other necessary diagnostic
equipment may be provided at the discretion of the Owner.

166. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 89(4), the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-

(4) Cables- Wherever construction of an overhead transmission line is not

possible due to space constraints or right- of- way problems etc., the Owner
can use high voltage XLPE cables for transmission of power. XLPE cables shall
be provided with required terminations, straight through joints (wherever
required), surge arrester at GIS interconnection / outdoor terminations, line
differential protection, and Distributed Temperature Sensor (DTS) for hot spot
monitoring. The earthing of terminations and joints including cross bonding
arrangement (wherever required) shall be properly done for successful
operation of cable. Gas Insulated Lines (GIL) may be considered as an
alternative to EHV XLPE cables where high current / power flow is required
taking into account the Life Cycle Cost (LCC).

167. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 89(5), the following Regulation shall be
deleted, namely:-

(5) Applicable standards-BIS or IEC or Equivalent deleted

168. In the said Regulations, after the Regulation 89(5), the following Regulation 89(6)
to 89(10) shall be inserted, namely:-

(6) Strengthening of existing towers

The towers of old lines, which have not exceeded their useful life, and have
been designed according to old standards, shall be strengthened in phased
manner in line with latest IS codes.

(7) Condition Assessment of Towers and earthing system

Utilities shall assess the condition of structure of towers, its foundation and
earthing system periodically using modern techniques and diagnostic tools.

(8) Use of Helicopter and UAV

 Use of helicopter for faster erection and commissioning of transmission line and
use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for survey and patrolling of transmission
line, particularly in difficult and inaccessible terrain, may be considered by the
transmission licensees as some of the technology options. However, required
clearance from Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA) / any other competent
authority shall be obtained before taking up such activity.

(9) Emergency Restoration System:

Every transmission licensee shall have an arrangement for restoration of

transmission lines of at least 220

(10) Use of GIS platform

Transmission system asset mapping, Route alignment and optimization of

route of new transmission line for transmission projects should be carried out
on GIS platform. BHUVAN of National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) should
be used as the base platform for GIS application.

PART B:
ELECTRIC LINES (33 KV AND BELOW)
169. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 90(2), the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-

(2) The Owner shall ensure tie-up arrangements which are necessitated by
the proposed installation and which shall be carried out simultaneously by other
entities before the new installation is commissioned and connected to the
existing power system network. The Owner who is connecting his new
installation has to abide by the Central Electricity Authority (Technical
Standards for Connectivity to the Grid) Regulations, 2007 as amended upto
date..

170. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 91 Table IV-4, the following shall be
substituted, namely:-

Table: IV- 4

Parameter 33 kV 22 kV 11 kV 0.415 kV
Nominal system voltage (kV) 33 kV 22 kV 11 kV 0.415
Highest system voltage (kV) 36 kV 24 kV 12 kV 0.450
 System earthing Effectively Effectively Effectively Effectively
earthed system earthed earthed earthed
system system system
Frequency (Hz) 50 50 50 50
Lightning Impulse withstand 170 125 75 -
voltage (kV peak)
Power frequency withstand 70 50 28 3
voltage (kV rms) in dry
condition

171. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 92(1)(d) & 92(4), the following Regulation
shall be substituted, namely:-

(1) The system shall be constructed so as to ensure:

(d) Adequate capacity for load growth at least for next 5 years;

(4) Composite lines (i.e. lines having different voltage levels) and multi circuits
lines shall be adopted by the Owner as per requirement.

172. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 93(5) & 93(8), the following Regulation
shall be substituted, namely:-

(5) The 33 kV or 22 kV line route shall be such as to avoid large habitations,

and densely populated areas as far as possible.

(8) The electric line shall be far off from slaughterhouses and garbage
dumping grounds to prevent interruptions by bird hits.

173. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 95(1), 95(2), 95(3), 95(6) & 95(7), the
following Regulation shall be substituted, namely:-

(1) The supports shall preferably be poles. The narrow based lattice towers
with fully galvanised structure can also be used for 33 KV and 22 KV lines as
per site requirement. The lines shall preferably be double circuit or multi circuit.

(2) Poles shall be used for 33 kV, 22 kV, 11 kV and LT lines (lines below
500 V) as per requirement. The poles shall be pre-cast concrete (PCC) pole,
pre-stressed cement concrete (PSCC) pole, rolled steel joist, rail pole, H beam
or steel tubular pole as required.,

(3) Poles shall conform to relevant IS/IEC as the case may be.

(6) For locations involving long spans or higher clearances on account of

crossing of power or communication lines or a railway line, specially designed
poles/lattice towers may be used ,or underground cable may be used as per
requirement.
 (7) Double pole structure may be used as per site conditions ensuring safe
operation of lines.

174. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 98, the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-

The supports shall be suitable for the wind loads as per relevant IS. The
minimum factor of safety for supports shall be as per Central Electricity
Authority (Measures Relating to Safety and Electricity Supply), Regulations as
amended upto date.

175. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 99(2) & 99(6), the following Regulation
shall be substituted, namely:-

(2) Metal cross arms and insulator pins for PCC and PSCC poles shall be
bonded together and normally earthed at every pole for above 650 V lines and
at every 3rd pole for lines below 650 volts.

(6) All poles above 650 volts, irrespective of inhabited areas, shall be earthed.
For poles below 650 V, guarding with continuous earth/messenger-wire shall
be provided invariably in Aerial bunched cable and shall be connected to earth
at three equidistant points in one km.

176. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 103, the following Regulation shall be
substituted, namely:-

Danger Plates shall be provided on electric lines in accordance with Central

Electricity Authority (Measures Relating to Safety and Electricity Supply),
Regulations as amended upto date.

177. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 108(1), 108(3), 108(4), 108(5), 108(6) &
108(7), the following Regulation shall be substituted, namely:-

(1) Underground cables or aerial bunched cables (ABC) or insulated cable

or covered conductor or any other new technology cable of adequate rating can
also be used for supplying power. Cables shall conform to relevant Indian
Standards. In case Indian Standards are not available, cables may conform
relevant International standards.

(3) Aerial bunched cables/insulated cables/ covered conductor etc may be

used in the congested , theft and accident-prone areas.

(4) Underground Cables shall normally be laid in tranches as per the

relevant standards and utility practices. Direct burying of underground cables
shall not be adopted except where cables enter and take off from a trench.
Cables may also be laid in pipes through trench less method as per the site
requirement.
 (5) The underground cables shall be segregated by running in separate
trenches or on separate racks/ pipes.

(6) The cable trenches/pipes shall be properly sloped so as to drain freely

any water, which may enter.

(7) Cable trenches/pipes shall not be run through oil rooms.

178. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 109(3) & 109(4), the following Regulation
shall be substituted, namely:-

(3)
in an accessible position at or
near the point of commencement of supply in accordance with Central
Electricity Authority (Measures Relating to Safety and Electricity Supply),
Regulations as amended upto date.

(4) The meters for the consumer connections shall be provided in

accordance with the Central Electricity Authority (Installation and Operation of
Meters) Regulations,2006 as amended upto date.

179. In the said Regulations, for Regulation 111(1) & 111(2), the following Regulation
shall be substituted, namely:-

(1) The overall protection system of feeders would be as per Central

Electricity Authority (Measures relating to Safety and Electricity Supply)
Regulations as amended up to date.The protection scheme settings shall be
finalized by the Owner based on prudent utility practice.

(2) An earth leakage protective device shall be provided at consumer

premises as per requirement of Central Electricity Authority (Measures Relating
to Safety and Electricity Supply), Regulations as amended upto date. .

180. In the said Regulations, for Schedule-V, the following Schedule shall be
substituted, namely:-
 SCHEDULE- V
[See Regulation 43 (4) (c)]

Protection Details of Transmission Lines, Transformers, Reactors and

Bus Bars

1. Transmission Line Protection

Sl. No. Protection 765 400 220 132 kV or

kV kV kV 66 kV

(a) Main l- Distance Y Y Y Y

protection*
(b) Main Il- Distance Y Y Y/N N
protection* or
directional comparison
protection or
phase segregated line
differential protection
(c) Directional inverse Y Y 'Y' if both N
instantaneous definite Main-I &
minimum time (IDMT) Main-Il are
type earth fault relay distance
protections
otherwise 'N'
(d) Directional IDMT N N 'Y' if Main-II Y
over current and earth is not
fault back up protection provided

(e) Two stage over Y Y Y/N Y/N

voltage protection

(f) Auto reclosing# Y Y Y Y/N

(Single (Single (Single (Three
phase and phase and phase and phase)
three three three
phase) phase) phase)

*For short line (less than 10kms) / cable / combination of overhead line
and cable, line differential protection with distance protection as inbuilt
feature shall be used. For 400kV and above voltage level, line differential
protection shall be inbuilt feature of distance protection.
 # For cable / combination of overhead line and cable, autoreclosing is not
required.
Note: (1) Y- Required; N- Not required; Y/N- Optional.
(2) Transmission lines with distance protection shall, in general, have carrier
aided inter-tripping or blocking feature. Separate cores of current transformer
and voltage transformer shall be used for Main-I and Main-ll.

2. Transformer Protection

Sl. Protecti 76 40 220k 6

No on 5 0 V or 6
. kV kV 132 k
kV V
(a) Differential Y Y Y Y
protection
(b) Over fluxing Y Y Y N
protection
(c) Restricted earth Y Y Y Y
fault (REF)
protection
(d) Backup Y Y Y Y
directional over
current and
earth fault
protection (HV
and LV side) or
impedance
protection
(e) Buchholz, WTI Y Y Y Y
and OTI (for 1
MVA and
above), MOG
with low oil level
alarm, OSR for
OLTC, PRD, SA
on both primary
and secondary
sides of
transformers
located outdoors
and connected
 to over head
lines
(f) Tertiary winding Y Y N
NY
protection
(above 100
MVA rating)
(g) Over load alarm Y Y Y NY

Note: (1) Y- Required; N- Not required.

(2) WTI- winding temperature indicator; OTI- oil temperature indicator; OLTC-
on load tap changer; PRD- pressure relieve device; OSR- oil surge relay; MOG-
magnetic oil gauge; SA- surge arrester.

Duplication of transformer protection is not considered necessary but the

protection shall be divided in two groups viz. Gr A and Gr B. Transformer
Protection may be grouped in two groups in the following manner:

Group- A Group- B

Differential protection Restricted earth fault (REF)

protection

Backup directional over Backup directional over

current and earth fault current and earth fault
protection (HV side) or protection (IV/LV side) or
impedance protection impedance protection

Buchholz (main tank) Buchholz (OLTC) protection

protection

Over fluxing protection (HV) Over fluxing protection (IV/LV)

Oil temperature protection Winding temperature

protection

Pressure relief tripping Overload protection (Alarm

only)

Tertiary winding protection Oil level high/low tripping

 Fire protection Fire protection

Note: Secondary winding has been indicated as IV for transformers with tertiary
winding and LV for transformers without tertiary winding.
3. Reactor Protection

Sl. Protection 765 400

No. kV kV
(a) Differential Y Y
protection
(b) REF protection Y Y

(c) Reactor backup Y Y

protection
(impedance type or
definite time over
current (O/C) and
earth fault (E/F)
protection)
(d) Buchholz, WTI, OTI, Y Y
MOG with low oil
level alarm, SA (if
required)

Note: (1) Y- Required.

(2) WTI- winding temperature indicator; OTI- oil temperature indicator; MOG-
magnetic oil gauge; SA- surge arrester.

Duplication of reactor protection is not considered necessary but the

protection and monitors shall be divided in two groups viz. Gr A and Gr B.
Reactor protection may be grouped in two groups in the following manner:

Group- A Group- B

Differential protection Restricted earth fault (REF)

protection

Reactor backup protection Buchholz protection

 Oil temperature protection Winding temperature
protection

Pressure relief tripping Oil level high/low trip

Fire protection Fire protection

4. Bus Bar Protection and Local Breaker Backup Protection (breaker failure
protection)

Bus bar protection and local breaker backup protection shall be provided in
220kV 132 kV and higher voltage interconnecting sub- stations as well as in all
generating station switchyards. Duplication of bus bar protection shall be done
for all main buses of 400 kV and above voltage class. LBB shall be in-built
feature of Bus-bar protection. The bus bar protection scheme shall be
centralized or distributed type and shall have provision for future expansion.

181. In the said Regulations, for Schedule-VI, the Schedule has been bifurcated for
LCC based and VCC based HVDC Systems and following Schedule shall be
substituted, namely:-

SCHEDULE- VI
(See Regulation 44)
PART-A

Technical Details of Classical HVDC Terminals/ Stations

1. General: The conventional Thyristor (Gate Turn On device) based HVDC

converter technology or Line Commuted Converter (LCC) technology or Current
Source Converter (CSC) technology shall only be used for + 500kV / + 600kV / +
800kV and above voltage level for long distance bulk power HVDC transmission
system. Gate Turn Off devices / other better devices capable of handling similar
or higher quantum of power may also be considered.

2. Design Consideration: (a) The converter configuration and rating for HVDC
installation shall be based on following considerations:
The amount of power to be transmitted
The transmission distance
Staging consideration of the project
Location of converter station
 The amount of power to be transmitted at the different stages of the
project
Reliability and availability requirements
Loss evaluation
Size and weight of the Converter transformers for transport
Note: The DC power rating shall include nominal, reverse, forward and overload power
levels, specific loading cycle and weightage factor to calculate load losses.

(b) Electric design of HVDC transmission lines shall take into account the
following considerations:
(i) Corona performance (Corona loss, Radio Interference, Audible Noise,
Electric field and ion current in the vicinity of the line)
(ii) Air Insulation Performance
(iii) Insulator performance
(c) The minimum conductor height above Ground level shall be selected mainly
on the basis of ensuring human safety, Ground level electric field and ion
current density level. The corona loss with I 2R losses in the conductors shall
be considered for economic choice of the optimum conductor bundle.

3. System Data: The following environmental, AC & DC system information, shall be

required:

(a) Environmental information:

(i) Ambient temperature
(ii) Humidity, Air pollution, rain fall intensity
(iii) Geographical co-ordinates
(iv) Isokeraunic level
(v) Wind velocity
(vi) Seismic Level
(vii) Altitude above sea level
(viii) Pollution level
(ix) Soil Properties

(b) AC System information:

(i) Short Circuit Ratio and Short Circuit Current:
(ii) System voltage and frequency
(iii) Harmonic impedance characteristics
(iv) System Voltage distortion
(v) System Grounding
(vi) Torsional mode frequencies (Sub-synchronous Resonance)
(vii) AC system topology
(viii) AC system equivalent
(ix) MVAR exchange with AC system

(c) HVDC line / Cable:

 I. In case of overhead lines, the detail information shall include

(i) Line length

(ii) Conductor type
(iii) Conductor configuration
(iv) Rated DC Voltage
(v) Impulse withstand levels
(vi) Tower configuration for the Pole conductors & Dedicated Metallic Return
(DMR) conductor / earth electrode
(vii) and earth electrode station (if applicable)

II. In case of Cable, the detail information shall include

(i) Cable length

(ii) Cable size and insulation
(iii) Rated and maximum DC voltage
(iv) Current rating
(v) Capacitance and resistance at rated load
(vi) Impulse withstand levels

4. System Performance:

The HVDC system shall be designed to meet all performance requirements and
shall be compatible to existing system. The HVDC system shall not cause
instability to the AC existing Network and should not adversely affect other nearby
HVDC Systems as well as Generating Units. This can be verified by stability, multi
infeed and Sub Synchronous Resonance (SSR) studies.

5. System Studies- HVDC control parameters and equipment shall be designed by

carrying out the following studies at different stages of the project:
(a) Main circuit parameters;
(b) Short circuit studies;
(c) Insulation co-ordination;
(d) AC, DC and PLC filter design, rating and performance;
(e) Reactive power studies, switching arrangement & logic;
(f) Temporary overvoltage;
(g) Transient overvoltage, surge arrester stress;
(h) Runback and run up studies;
(i) Sub- synchronous resonance (SSR) studies
(j) AC breaker recovery voltage (TRV) and rate of rise of recovery
voltage (RRRV) studies;
(k) Overload study;
(l) AC equivalent study;
 (m) DC switchgear requirements;
(n) Load flow, stability, modulation and frequency controller design
study;
(o) Dynamic over voltage study;
(p) Electrical interface study;
(q) Reliability and availability study;
(r) Audible noise study;
(s) Loss calculation;
(t) Dynamic performance study (DPS);
(u) Studies for deciding operational logics/ sequences;
(v) Design of electrode line and its impact on dc equipment;
(w) Application of VAR compensation equipment;
(x) Commutation failure and recovery study;
(y) Real time digital simulator (RTDS) studies;
(z) HVDC control and protection coordination study;
(aa) Overall efficiency study;
(bb) AC/ DC system interaction.
(cc) Muti-infeed studies, if applicable

6. Insulation co-ordination

(a) HVDC System shall be suitably protected against Impulses and disturbances
external and internal to the system such as switching impulses, lighting
impulses, dynamic over voltages and load rejection. The insulation of all
equipment shall be properly protected and coordinated with surge arresters
and/or surge capacitors. Insulation coordination shall be done keeping in mind
the minimum electrical clearances, safety clearances and maintenance
clearances as per Switching Impulse Withstand Level (SIWL). Insulation
coordination shall be done as per relevant CIGRE and IEC / IS Standards.
Insulation levels of oil filled equipment shall be less than other equipment
considering its cost.

(b) The insulation of the equipment and protection levels of Surge Arresters
connected to the converter ac bus bars of the converter stations at both
rectifiers and inverter shall be coordinated with the insulation and surge arrester
characteristics of the connected ac systems to which the converter stations are
to be connected without exceeding the discharge duty of these arresters.

(c) Overvoltages caused by Bipole link HVDC transmission shall be controlled to

1.4 p.u or below. Events caused by other equipment in the A.C. network shall
be controlled within the limits of the capability of the deblocked converter. In
case the converter is tripped, and not possible to restart within seconds, filter
tripping shall be allowed to limit overvoltages.

(d) The tripping action for lines shall be initiated if the over voltage exceeds 1.1
p.u. for 5 seconds and if 1.5 p.u. voltage persists for more than 100
 milliseconds. The HVDC over voltage strategy shall be co-ordinated with such
setting.

(e) The ratio of impulse withstand voltage to impulse protective level shall be in
line with IEC-60071-5.
(f) The minimum insulation levels for 800 kV shall be as follows:

HV Transformer Smoothing reactor Thyristor Valve DC Busbar

LIWL/SIWL (kV) LIWL/SIWL (kV) Structure LIWL/SIWL (kV)
LIWL/SIWL (kV)

1800/1600 1800/1600 1800/1600 1900/1600

LIWL- Lightning Impulse Withstand Voltage;
SIWL- Switching Impulse Withstand Voltage

7. Radio Interference (RI), Acoustic Noise (AN) and DC field

(a) All the necessary precautions shall be made during HVDC design to ensure
that there shall be no mal-operation, damage or danger to any equipment,
system or personnel due to electromagnetic or electrostatic interference
effects. The converter terminal(s) shall neither damage or cause mal-
operation of the DC control and protection system or the DC tele-control
system.

(b) All the necessary precautions shall be taken in the form of noise suppression
techniques, shielding and filtering devices to prevent harmful interference,
which may be generated by the converter terminals, with the Power line carrier
(PLC) systems, Radio communication systems, Television systems, VHF,
UHF & microwave radio systems.

(c) The noise generated by HVDC System shall also be limited by noise reducing
measures. Noise shall be less than 45 dBA in control room and office areas,
70 dBA at the station boundary and 70 90 dBA at various HVDC equipment
areas.

8. Dynamic Performance:

(a) The purpose of dynamic performance design is to determine the control

parameters for HVDC system and to ensure that the HVDC system shall have
smooth, stable and fast operation for both steady state and transient
conditions without adversely affecting the connected AC grid.

(b) The HVDC system shall recover to 90% of the pre-fault dc power transfer level
consistently within 120 ms from the instant of fault clearing, without
subsequent commutation failure or sustained oscillation for all inverter ac
system fault conditions. For all rectifiers ac system fault conditions, the
 recovery time, to 90% pre- fault power level, shall be within 100 ms from the
instant of fault clearing.

(c) HVDC should continue operation at reduced power if conditions get outside
the voltage, frequency and short circuit capacity ranges specified in system
data as much as possible with its inherent capability.

9. Main Circuit Design-The purpose of Main Circuit design is mainly to determine

the operating characteristics and rating of thyristor valves and converter
transformers (MVA, tap changer range etc). It also forms the input for AC Filter
and Reactive compensation design. The main circuit arrangement and circuit shall
depend on type of HVDC system, Power Transmission requirements, DC Voltage
Levels, connected AC voltage levels, Reactive Power requirements and AC & DC
Harmonic requirements. The system shall meet various harmonic performance
parameters on both AC Side and DC side.

10. HVDC Equipment- The function blocks of converter station are Converter area
(converter valves, converter transformer, Smoothing Reactor), DC yard (DC filters,
DCCT, DCVT, PLC filters of DC side, DC pole arresters, Disconnectors and ground
switches), AC filter yard, AC yard and auxiliaries. A typical LCC based HVDC
station shall consist of the following main equipment:
(a) Thyristor valves and its accessories e.g. damping and grading
circuits, converter cooling system, etc.;
(b) Converter transformers;
(c) Smoothing reactors*;
(d) DC filters*;
(e) AC filters (Harmonic filters and PLC filters) and shunt compensation;
(f) Control and protection of AC and DC side;
(g) Electrical and mechanical auxiliaries;
(h) Earth electrode station* / Dedicated Metallic Return (DMR) *;
(i) AC switchyard equipment;
(j) DC switchyard equipment*;
(k) Surge arresters;
(l) Measuring instruments;
(m) Communication system between converter stations (Optical/ PLCC).
(n) DC wall bushings
* Not applicable for back to back schemes.

11. Converter Station AC Yard

(a) AC commutating bus equipment- The AC circuit breakers,

disconnectors, instrument transformers and other switchyard equipment shall
be similar to that of the equipment specified under Regulation 43. The bus
rating shall be adopted according to the calculation considering single bus
operation. The switching duties of the AC circuit breakers will be decided
based on transient over voltage study, insulation co-ordination, AC filters and
protection studies.
(b) Dynamic over voltage limiter devices- Converters connected to
relatively weak AC systems may cause dynamic over voltages (DOVs) during
load rejection / disturbance. The DOV limiter shall consist of parallel arrester
elements connected phase to phase or phase to ground and designed to
absorb the desired amount of energy during a system disturbance. The DOV
limiter shall be coordinated with recovery of DC system following a
disturbance. The requirements of surge arresters shall be based on the
insulation co-ordination study in line with relevant standards. The arresters
used shall be metal oxide (ZnO) type conforming to relevant standard. For
control of DOV, use of STATCOM, SVC and high power gapless arresters
shall be evaluated.

(c) AC harmonic filters and shunt compensation

(i) To maintain the system security, reactive compensation requirement

(both static and dynamic), series and shunt type in AC system shall be
studied and identified. The HVDC converter generates harmonics during
the Conversion process and AC harmonic filters shall be used to limit ac
voltage distortion due to harmonics to acceptable levels and also to
meet the reactive power exchange requirements based on the studies
carried out.
(ii) The AC harmonic filters shall be switched in and out by circuit breakers.
Based on the studies, the reactive power requirement for the terminal
and bank or sub-bank size shall be determined such that reactive power
exchange with the AC bus shall remain within specified limits. Suitable
redundancy shall be provided in the sub-bank filters to avoid reduction
of transmission capacity of the station due to outage of any particular
sub-bank for maintenance.

(iii) The main filter equipment namely capacitors, reactors and resistors
shall comply with the requirements of following IEC
(A) Capacitors IEC 60871;
(B) Reactors IEC 60289;
(C) Resistors : IEC 62001.
(iv) Dynamic compensation: If required, dynamic compensation in the form
of static compensator (STATCOM), static var compensator (SVC),
thyristor controlled series capacitor (TCSC) etc. may be used to improve
stability during AC system transient faults. The requirement of dynamic
compensation and the rating shall be derived from the studies.

(v) Shunt Reactor Banks: Shunt reactors of suitable size shall be provided
to meet reactive power exchange requirements derived from the
studies. The shunt reactor shall be oil filled and can be switched in or
out by a circuit breaker. The shunt reactor shall conform to relevant
standard. The shunt reactor shall be covered under automatic switching
under the reactive power control strategy.
(vi) AC filter Design: The Total Harmonic Distortion (Vthd) of AC filter, as
defined below, shall not exceed 2%.

Additional requirements as per relevant IEC shall also be fulfilled. In all

Modes of operation, except the reduced dc line voltage modes, the
performance requirement shall be met up to rated power with one larger
size filter sub-bank and one characteristic harmonic sub-bank(largest)
being out of service. All filter banks, sub-banks and branches shall be
rated such that the remaining filter components are not overloaded and
there is no restriction on the operating power level for any operating
conditions with one filter bank outage for power level up to 1.0pu.
(d) Power line carrier (PLC) filtering- PLC filters shall be installed
close to converter transformers to mitigate high frequency harmonic currents
generated during thyristor switching.

(e) Converter transformers:

(i) The converter transformers shall be three phase / single phase two
winding or three winding units which shall be decided by size and
transportation limitations. The transformers shall comply with the
requirements of relevant standards. The maximum flux density in any
part of the core and yoke at the rated MVA, voltage and frequency
shall be such that under 10% continuous over voltage condition it does
not exceed 1.9 Tesla. The maximum temperature rises of top oil and
winding shall be 400C and 450C respectively over an ambient
temperature of the terminal where the equipment are installed and
operated. For 2 hours of overload rating with redundant cooling, the
maximum temperature rises of oil and winding shall be 45 oC and 50oC
respectively over an ambient temperature of the terminal where the
equipment is installed and operated. Temperature rise test shall be
conducted as per IEC-61378-2 / IS. The Converter transformer shall
be capable of withstanding minimum DC current of 10A per single
phase transformer entering through the neutral.

(ii) The insulation level for the transformer AC (line side) windings and
bushings shall be as given at Regulation 43 and insulation levels of
the valve side windings shall be determined in accordance with
studies. The impedance of the transformer shall be determined in
accordance with studies and variations in impedance shall be as per
system requirements.
(iii) Converter transformers shall be equipped with on load tap changer
(OLTC) mechanism and metal oxide varistor (MOV) devices shall be
provided between tap leads of the OLTC. The OLTC tap steps shall
be determined in accordance with the operating strategy of both the
converters. The OLTC shall be designed for a minimum 2,50,000
operations without repair or change of any part including oil. The
OLTC shall be designed for a contact life of minimum 6,00,000
operations.

(iv) The requirements of soak pits and firewalls shall be in line with
Regulation 43.

(v) Two Nos. of Single phase Converter transformers of each type and
rating shall be provided in each converter station. It shall be possible
to replace a failed converter transformer within 72 hrs with the standby
converter transformer.

(f) Thyristor valves

(i) The thyristor valves, used for converting AC to DC or vice versa,
shall be complete with associated auxiliaries and cooling system.
Twelve pulse scheme shall be used. Each twelve pulse thyristor
valve group shall consists of two six pulse bridge in series. Each
valve module shall consist of series connected thyristor modules and
valve reactor. Each thyristor in thyristor module shall have voltage
grading circuit and electronic firing system complete with individual
thyristor over voltage and over current protection, break over diode
firing/ protective firing, thyristor control, protection, monitoring,
damping and auxiliary power. The thyristor valve assembly shall be
tested as per relevant standards. One / Two twelve pulse valve group
in series or parallel combination shall be used depending on the
power rating and other requirement of specific project. In case of two
series converter configuration, a bypass switch shall be provided to
bypass any faulty converter and use the remaining series converter
at lower DC voltage. The thyristor valve assembly shall be designed
and tested as per relevant IEC/IS.

(ii) The thyristor valves shall be water cooled, air insulated and
indoor type. The valves shall be either suspended type or floor
mounted type depending upon the operating DC voltage and seismic
requirements. The Double or Quadruple valve design shall be used
depending on voltage level. A redundancy of 3% (minimum 3 Nos.
of Thyristor per valve module) shall be included in design
consideration.

(iii) The thyristor valve cooling system shall use de-ionized water
circulated in a closed cycle. The cooling unit shall comprise of a de-
ionizer, expansion vessel, conductivity, flow and temperature
sensors, mechanical filters, etc. Adequate redundancies shall be
 provided. Necessary control and monitoring including tripping of the
HVDC system in case of cooling system failure shall be provided.

(iv) The valves shall be placed in the valve hall which shall have a
positive pressure over atmospheric pressure and humidity control
feature. The pressurization will be maintained by ventilation system.

12. Converter Station DC Yard

(a) The DC yard comprises equipment such as HVDC bushings,

smoothing reactors, DC filters, DC current and voltage measuring
instruments and switchgear, surge arrester, insulators, clamps and
connectors.
(b) The creepage distance for DC yard and other areas shall be
maintained as indicated below:
Insulator type Under Under
light heavy
pollution pollution
Indoor porcelain or composite 20 mm/kV 20 mm/kV
insulators for valve hall and indoor
smoothing reactor area
Indoor DC yard (other than NA 30 mm/kV
smoothing reactor)
Outdoor porcelain insulators or 50 mm/kV 60 mm/kV
bushings with RTV coating
Outdoor composite insulators or 50 mm/kV 50 mm/kV
bushings

The base voltage applicable for calculation of valve arrester creepage

distance shall be

(c) DC wall bushing- DC wall bushings, used for electrical

connection between the equipment inside the valve hall and the outdoor
DC yard shall be of polymer housing as per relevant standards. All
bushings inside the valve hall including HVDC wall bushing shall be dry
type / SF6 gas filled or combination of both.
(d) Smoothing Reactor- The smoothing reactor shall be of air core
type. The reactors shall generally comply with relevant standards and
shall also have been subjected to DC tests as per their application. The
smoothing reactor shall be equally divided between pole and neutral for
DC voltage above 500kV. Each converter station shall be provided with
one spare coil of smoothing reactor.
 For the design of smoothing reactor, the Si factor has to be within the limits
(0.22 <Si< 1) where Si factor is defined as
Si= Udn/ Ld*Idn
Udn = Nominal HVDC Voltage level per pole
Idn = Nominal HVDC Current
Ld= Total DC side inductance = Ldr + 3.5 Ltr
where Ldr- Smoothing Reactor inductance
Ltr- Converter transformer inductance

The smoothing reactor shall be designed for Class H for inter turn insulation
as per IEC 60085, however, the maximum allowed hot-spot temperature
rise shall be limited to one class lower i.e Class F insulation.

(e) DC Voltage and Current Measuring Devices- The DC voltage

measuring equipment shall be installed at each pole. The DC measuring
equipment at pole and neutral bus shall be suitably located based on the
control philosophy and different protection zones such that complete pole
and neutral equipment are protected.
(f) DC Filters- DC harmonic filters shall be provided in DC yard to
limit harmonic voltages present on the DC lines (pole lines and electrode
lines / DMR line). The DC Filters generally consist of Blocking Filter, Low
order filters, Harmonic Filters and High Frequency Filters. The main filter
equipment like capacitors, reactors and resistors shall comply with the
requirements of relevant IS/IEC standards/ CIGRE documents. A series
blocking filter shall be provided at each converter of the inverter station.
A parallel low order (2nd Harmonic) DC Filter shall be provided across
each converter of each station.
(g) DC Filter Design
The individual harmonic current (In) at any harmonic shall not exceed the
value which could cause mal-operation of the HVDC system control and
protection equipment supplied.

The maximum equivalent disturbing current (Ieq), without any filter

outage, for balanced bipolar and monopolar mode with metallic return
or Dedicated Metallic Return (DMR) modes of operation shall be as
follows:

Operating Mode Ieq

Balanced bipolar operation 1500 mA
Monopolar mode with metallic or DMR 2200 mA
mode

The DC filter components shall be adequately rated to allow unrestricted

operation of the HVDC system in all operating modes and for all power
levels upto 1 p.u with any possible combination of filter branches
connected.
 The rating of the dc filter components shall be based on the assumption
that the per pole harmonic voltage is individually maximized at each
harmonic for any particular operating mode, and the filter component
currents due to the harmonic voltages at the terminals shall be assumed
to add as RSS (Root sum squared) at each harmonic.

Blocking filter reactor shall be designed for Class H for inter turn
insulation as per IEC 60085, however, the maximum allowed hot-spot
temperature rise shall be limited to one class lower i.e Class F insulation.
The AC/DC/PLC/RI reactor shall be designed for Class F insulation as
per IEC 60085, however, the maximum allowed hot-spot temperature rise
shall be limited to one class lower i.e. Class B insulation.

(h) Surge Arresters

Surge arresters shall be gapless Metal Oxide arresters and shall be

designed, and tested as per relevant IS / IEC. The arresters shall be
designed to absorb the desired amount of energy during a system
disturbance and shall be coordinated with recovery of DC system
following a disturbance as applicable.
The HVDC main arresters generally found in a HVDC System are as
follows:
(i) Valve Arrester
(ii) Bridge Arrester (6 pulse/12 pulse)
(iii) DC Line Arrester
(iv) DC Neutral and DC Filter Arrester
(v) Converter Transformer and AC Filter Bus Arrester
(vi) Electrode line arrestor / DMR line arresters
(vii) Smoothing Reactor Arrester
(viii) DC Neutral Switch Arresters

13. Control and Protection System

(a) Control System: The control system shall have redundancy with
hot standby.
i) DC converter terminals shall be either manned by operator or
controlled by remote operation of SCADA system. The control system
hierarchy shall be as follows:
(A) Bipole Control
(B) Pole Control
(C) Converter control and Valve control

ii) The HVDC Bipole shall have control features including but not
limited to the following:
(A) Reactive power controller:
 The reactive power interchanges between the converter stations
and the ac system shall be guaranteed and shall be maintained
within the desired limits. The Reactive Power element switching
shall not result in AC system voltage variation of more than 5
percent for 400kV and above voltage level and 10% for below
400kV.

(B) Current and power controller

(C) Frequency controller:

Under asynchronous operation of rectifier and inverter end ac
system, it shall be possible to operate the HVDC system in
frequency control mode in which the HVDC power flow is used to
control the frequency of one grid provided the frequency of the
other grid does not deviate beyond the specified band.

(D) Power modulator, pole power compensation:

The modulator shall have feature which shall provide positive
damping of ac network oscillations over the range of frequencies
considered during system studies.

(E) Sub Synchronous Resonance (SSR) Damping Controller (if

required):
All necessary studies shall be carried out to ensure that the DC
system shall not excite the mechanical, electromechanical or other
natural frequencies of the nearby region generators and turbines
under any operating mode. It shall be demonstrated b y s t u d i e s
( s i m u l a t i o n a s w e l l a s f i e l d t e s t ) that the nearby
generators shall not be adversely affected by the HVDC system,
particularly with regard to Sub Synchronous Oscillation (SSO) / Sub
Synchronous Resonance (SSR) and harmonic injection and self-
excitation. Sub Synchronous Damping (SSD) Controller shall be
provided for converter Stations near Generating stations.

(F) Load frequency controller (LFC)

(G) Current margin controller

(H) Excessive reactive power consumption controller

(I) AC system stability function, such as power swing damping

function.

(J) Run back / Run up controller with provision to be linked to SPS

of System Operator

i) The pole control, converter control, and valve control modules

shall also be provided.
 ii) The control shall be designed to give fast stable and proper
response to normal control actions as well as during
disturbances such as AC & DC faults.
(b) Protection System
i) HVDC system protection shall consist of two parts:
(A) AC side protection:
AC side protection function shall cover the zone for converter
transformer, AC filters, shunt capacitors, shunt reactors, and
busbars. These protections shall generally follow the same
philosophy as in a typical substation i.e. detection of fault by relay
and tripping of circuit breaker.

(B) DC side protection:

DC side protection covers the zones consisting of the valve hall,
DC switchyard including smoothing reactor and DC filters, DC line,
DMR line / electrode line and ground electrode. The protection
equipment shall be designed to be fail safe and shall ensure high
security to avoid mal-operation/ unwanted shutdown due to
protection equipment failures.

ii) Following a DC Line fault, the HVDC System shall have the
facility to restart, one or more times, the faulted pole at a variable pre-
selected DC voltage level(s), not below 80% of the nominal voltage
rating. The dc transmission system shall be capable of recovery in a
controlled and stable manner without commutation failures during
recovery following ac and dc system faults. The post fault power order
shall be equal to the pre-fault power order unless AC/ DC systems
dictate otherwise

iii) Each protection system shall have two identical independent

electrical and mechanical systems with following protections.
(A) Converter differential protection;
(B) DC over current protection;
(C) DC differential protection;
(D) AC conductor ground fault protection;
(E) Commutation failure protection;
(F) DC filter protection (not applicable for back to back schemes);
(G) DC smoothing reactor protection;
(H) DC line ground fault protection with restarts;
(I) DC line differential protection;
(J) DC under voltage/ over voltage protection;
(K) Ground Return mode / Dedicated Metallic Return (DMR)
protection
(L) AC filter and DC filter protections
(M) Electrode line monitoring and protection
(N) Thyristor Failure Monitoring
 iv) DC online fault locators shall be provided to monitor the entire
DC line length and give location of the fault with good accuracy in
the range of + 1000 meters

(c) Software based controls and protection shall be used to permit

flexibility in effecting modifications at a later date. Protection and controls
shall be duplicated for reliability. Protection shall be provided by numerical
relays complying with IEC 61850 protocol to suit the requirements of
reliability and fast controllability of the HVDC system. Operation of the
HVDC bipole system shall be possible in the following modes:
i) Balanced/ unbalanced bipolar operation;
ii) Monopolar operation with metallic return:
iii) Monopolar operation with ground operation/ with Dedicated Metallic
Return (DMR) mode;
iv) Reduced voltage operation;
v) Power reversal mode.

(d) The 'Sequence of events' recorder, transient fault recorder, on-line

DC Line fault locator, GPS system, visual display system, operator control
protection and monitoring system shall be a part of the HVDC system.
14. Telecommunication- For smooth operation of the HVDC system, communication
network with high reliability and availability shall be provided for transmission of
control and protection signals between the two or more (in case of multi-terminal
DC) HVDC terminals. The communication system shall be through optical fibers.
There shall be main as well as back up communication link.

15. Valve Hall: The valve hall shall mainly contain thyristor valves, its associated
structure and cooling and arresters. No oil filled equipment shall be present inside
the valve hall. In case the turret of converter transformers (having oil) is protruding
inside the valve hall, suitable fire barrier matching with adjacent valve hall fire
rating shall be provided. The valve halls shall be provided with interference
screening. In addition, the control cable and cable termination rooms shall be
suitably screened to minimize radio interference. Two nos. scissor lift for erection
and maintenance of valve modules shall be provided per station. Proper cable
sealing shall be provided for cable entry into valve hall and control room to avoid
entry of water and moisture. High frequency earthing shall be provided inside valve
hall as well as for control panels in service building.

16. Valve Hall Ventilation: Each valve hall shall have independent ventilation
systems. Each ventilation system shall consist of two 100% capacity systems, one
system in operating mode and other one in stand-by mode. The total air volume in
the valve hall shall be re-circulated through the main filters at least once every one
hour. The ventilation system shall be a closed cycle with fresh air intake limited to
 a maximum of 20% of the total air requirement. To ensure that the air being
supplied to the valve hall is free from dust particles, a minimum three stage dust
filtration process shall be supplied. This shall consist of at least the following:

(a) Pre Filters: To remove dust particles down to 10 microns in size with at least
95% efficiency.
(b) Fine Filters: To remove dust particles down to 5 microns in size with at least
99% efficiency.
(c) Absolute Filters: To remove dust particles down to 0.3 microns in size with at
least 99.5% efficiency.

The valve hall shall be kept at a positive pressure above the atmospheric pressure
under all conditions. The test shall be conducted at site to measure the pressure
inside the valve hall for 48 hours. The pressure inside valve hall shall be at least 3
mm of water Column over the pressure outside the valve hall for total duration of
test. The humidity inside valve hall shall be controlled to below values as required
for normal operation of equipment inside (below 55 % typically).

17. Safety Grounding

(a) The electrical safety clearances for the DC side shall not be less than
the clearances applicable for an AC switchyard at the equivalent BIL
level.
(b) The total electric field excluding space charge at ground level shall not
exceed 20kV/m and ion current density shall be less than 20 nA/sq. m at
ground level in the DC yard.
(c) Fencing and electrical & mechanical key interlocking arrangements shall
be provided for all areas where e n t ry of Hu m an be in g s ha ll b e
p e rm it te d only after p ro p er de-energization & grounding. Accordingly,
key interlocking scheme shall be provided for valve halls, smoothing
reactor area, AC and DC filter areas. The interlocking scheme shall comply
with provisions of Central Electricity Authority (Measures relating to Safety
and Electric Supply) Regulations.
(d) The design of the grounding system shall be based on latest IEEE 80.

18. Dedicated Metallic Return (DMR) / Earth Electrode

In case of a bipolar configuration, unbalanced operation of both poles requires a
DC current return path in the neutral connection of the converters. The current
return path can be either via a Dedicated Metallic Return (DMR) conductor or via
earth return using earth electrodes at both converter terminals. The earth
electrode station shall not affect the nearby electrical installation, buried metallic
pipelines, oil & gas pipelines, and railway lines etc. DMR mode shall be preferred
if it is difficult to identify a suitable site for earth electrode station meeting above
requirements.

If earth electrodes are to be used the following requirements shall also be

considered:
(a) The earth electrode station shall be connected to the terminal by means of
 an overhead transmission tine. The earth electrode shall be located at a
minimum distance of approximately 25 km (radial distance) away from the
converter station. It shall be designed to operate continuously at nominal
load and overload as per the requirement. The thorough soil investigation
shall be carried out for shallow & deep resistivity, thermal conductivity and
moisture content etc. at the proposed location. The electrodes shall be
designed for both types of operation, anodic and cathodic.

(b) The earth electrode station shall have sub-electrodes. The maximum
current density at the sub-electrode surface, i.e. the boundary between
backfill (coke) and soil shall not exceed 0.5 A/m 2 in clay soils. The number
of sub-electrodes shall be determined considering that 30% of the sub-
electrodes are not available. The amp hour rating for earth electrode shall
be selected based on the study for duration of earth electrode current and
the service life of the earth electrode station.

(c) Each ground electrode shall have a resistance of less than or equal to 0.3
ohm (both working as an anode and cathode) at 50 oC ambient
temperature

(d) Touch voltage (Vt)- The touch voltage between any grounded metallic
object in the electrode station (including the connection to the overhead
electrode line) and any point in the soil which can be touched by a person
simultaneously shall not exceed 40 V when the electrode is operating at
the 5 sec overload rating.

(e) Step Voltage (Vs)- The step voltage at ground level above the ground
electrode when the electrode is operating at the temporary over-toad rating
s s is the local surface
resistivity in ohm-m.

(f) The above values of resistance: touch and step voltages would depend on
the actual geophysical characteristics of the soil at the place where the
electrode station is located. Suitable mitigation measures shall have to be
adopted in case the site has high resistivity.

(g) In addition, following interference effects shall be considered.

(i) Corrosion of buried metallic structure of foundations

(ii) DC Current in power lines, especially via power transformer neutrals
(risk of saturation of transformers).
(iii) DC current in telephone circuits.
(iv) Effect on the cathodic protection of the buried metallic pipe lines.
19. Cables: Fibre optic cables conforming to IEC 60793 shall be used to transmit
the signals to and from various equipments and panels located in the AC/DC
switchyards, Valve Halls, control rooms, valve cooling rooms, etc. The material
used in the manufacturing of the optical fibre cables and splicing /
maintenance shall be self-extinguishing, non-toxic, low halogen and
impervious to water penetration and dermatological safe in its life time and
 shall not pose any health hazards. The power and control cables shall
generally be in line with Regulation 43 for substations.

20. Auxiliary Power Supply System: The auxiliary power supply system shall
have the following:

(a) Highly reliable duplicated supply sources from two separate sources, with
automatic change-over facilities.
(b) Completely separated secondary distribution (415 V) systems for the
auxiliaries of each converter.
(c) Duplicated supply by two different 415 V power sources to essential
loads (e.g., cooling pumps, fans, heat exchangers, etc.).
(d) Provision of the diesel-generator set(s) to meet essential and emergency
loads and which starts-up automatically in case of loss of all the normal
and stand-by supply sources. One DG set per converter shall be
provided at all the converter stations.
(e) In order to limit fault currents, prevent back feed into the AC bus and to
ensure independence o f supply sources, parallel operation between
station service transformers shall not be permitted at any voltage level.
Also parallel operation shall not be permitted between transformers and
the diesel generator.
(f) Suitable protection on all primary MV or LV supply connections to ensure
fast selective protection as per engineering practice of various Indian and
International standards.
(g) All auxiliaries shall give rated output at voltage variation of ±10% and
frequency variation of -5% to +3%.
(h) The station services DC system shall cater to the following:
i) DC loads of HVAC and HVDC switchyards, auxiliary services control,
circuit breaker operating mechanisms, valve and pole control,
protection circuits, communication system loads, etc.
ii) An indispensable minimum lighting load shall be connected to the
station DC system.

(i) The 220VDC supply system(s) per converter shall consist of at least two
independent DC systems; each system consisting of one charger, one
battery bank and one distribution panel.
(j) A 48 V DC system consisting of two battery sets, two Battery chargers
and two distribution boards shall also be supplied for communication
panels (wherever supplied).

21. Fire Detection, Alarm and Protection system: A comprehensive fire

detection, alarm and protection system as per Regulation 43 shall be
provided. Valve Hall shall have Very Early Smoke Detection Apparatus
(VESDA) system. Suitable Infra-Red (IR) detector to detect the flashover
inside the Valve Hall shall also be provided. The Valve hall shall be suitable
for minimum 3 hour fire rating.

22. Testing and trial Operation: All equipment / component including Thyristor
valves, Converter Transformers, smoothing reactors, EHV DC Transformer
bushings and wall bushings shall be subjected to Type tests, Routine tests,
Factory Acceptance Test (FAT), Site Acceptance Test (SAT) as per relevant
 IS / IEC/ IEEE as applicable. The SAT shall consist of sub-system & system
tests and shall be carried out after installation of equipment at site. The
subsystem tests cover the major sub-system like valve cooling, AC&DC
filters, HVDC converter, auxiliary systems, communication etc. After
completion of sub-system tests, system tests covering power transmission
tests, transient & dynamic control tests, measurement of electric field and RFI
etc. shall be conducted. After completion of all system tests, final trial
operation of the HVDC System shall be carried out for uninterrupted
continuous period of normal operation of not less than 10 days during which
the converter equipment shall be fully operational.

23. Spares: The following main equipment shall have one spare of each type and
rating
(a) DC Current Transformer
(b) DC Voltage Divider
(c) DC High Speed Switches
(d) DC Yard Disconnectors
(e) Valve Hall Grounding Switches
(f) AC Circuit Breaker with operating mechanism (1 pole of each type and
rating)
(g) AC Isolators with Grounding Switch (2 pole of each type and rating)
(h) Connectors for DC yard and valve hall (1 complete set of units to make one
no of each type and rating)
(i) AC & DC Surge Arresters (3 nos. of each type and rating)
(j) AC Current Transformer
(k) Capacitive and Inductive Voltage Transformers
(l) Cards Relays and Contactors for C & P Panels (min 10 % of each type and
rating)
(m) Capacitor Units (min 1 % of each type and rating)
(n) AC/DC/PLC Filter Reactors (1 complete reactor of each type and rating)
(o) Filter Resistors (1 module of each type)

24. Performance Guarantee:

(a) The power Transmission Capacity:

The rated power transmission capacity shall be defined and guaranteed at
inverter end of AC yard and rated transmission voltage shall be defined at
the rectifier end. The reverse Power transmission capacity shall also be
indicated.
(b) HVDC System losses:
The Guaranteed losses of HVDC transmission shall include the no load
loss and equivalent load loss. The equivalent load loss is the sum of load
losses at specific loadings multiplied by weightage factors as per expected
loading cycle. The Guaranteed losses shall be verified as per IEC 61803.
No load loss shall be guaranteed corresponding to converter transformer
 set at principal tap with nominal AC system voltage and nominal frequency
at 400 C ambient temperature.
(c) The system shall meet various harmonic performance parameters on both
AC Side and DC side.
(d) Availability, Reliability and Transient disturbance:

1 Overall Energy availability of HVDC scheme

(a) Overall Performance Not less than 97.5%
(b)Excluding transformer failure Not less than 98.5%
2 Forced Energy Unavailability (FEU) Not more than 0.6 %
3 Schedule Energy Unavailability (FEU) Not more than 1 %
4 Single pole outage per pole per station per year Not more than 8 (with average
outage duration of 7.5hours)
5 Bipole outage per station per year Not more than 0.2 (with
average outage duration of
8.0hours)

25. Applicable Standards: All equipment and material shall be designed,

manufactured, tested and commissioned in accordance with latest Indian
Standard / IEC / IEEE standards / relevant CIGRE documents (as applicable)
and the Acts, Rules, Laws and Regulations of India. Some of them are as
follows:

(a) IEC 60633 - Terminology for High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC)

transmission
(b) IEC 60700 (1-2) - Thyristor valves for High Voltage Direct Current
(HVDC) power transmission
(c) IEC 60919 (1-3) - Performance of High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC)
systems with line-commutated converters
(d) IEC 61803 - Determination of power losses in High-Voltage Direct
Current (HVDC) converter stations with line-commutated converters
(e) IEC-61975 - High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) installations - System
tests
(f) IEC-62001 (1-4) - High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) systems -
Guidance to the specification and design evaluation of AC filters
(g) IEC 65700 Bushings for DC Applications
(h) IEC 60071 (1- 5) Insulation Coordination
(i) CIGRE report 33/14-

(j) IEC 61378(2-3) - Converter transformers

(k) IEC 600076-6 Power transformers - Part 6: Reactors
(l) IEC 60871-(1-4) -Shunt capacitors for a.c. power systems having a
rated voltage above 1 000 V
 (m) IEC 60747-6 - Semiconductor devices - Part 6: Discrete devices
Thyristors
(n) CIGRE- TB 136 1999 SC 14 TF 14.01.04 Fire aspects of HVDC
thyristor valves and valve halls.
(o) PWI/TR 115-6 Ed. 1.0 -Guidelines for the system design of HVDC
project
(p) IEC/TS 63014 Ed. 1.0 -High voltage direct current (HVDC) power
transmission - System requirements for dc-side equipment - Part 1:
Line-Commutated Converters
(q) IEC/TR 63065 Ed. 1.0 - Guidelines for operation and maintenance of
HVDC converter station
(r) IEC/TR 62978 Ed. 1.0 -Guidelines on Asset Management for HVDC
Installations

Note: HVDC Switchgear- As no Standard exists for DC equipment, the relevant

portion of the corresponding standard for ac equipment shall be applicable to the
extent possible. The switches which are current interrupting or making devices
shall generally comply with the requirements HVAC Circuit Breakers (as
appropriate to DC switches). The commutation switches shall be capable of
commutating DC Current from DMR (Dedicated Metallic Return) to PMR (Pole
Metallic Return) and vice versa.

Part-B

Technical Details of Voltage Source Converter (VSC) based HVDC Terminals/

Stations

1. General: The VSC are self-commuted converters capable of controlling the

reactive power at both end converter stations independent of active power
flow and requires less foot prints compared to LCC based HVDC installation.
VSC can operate at approximately zero active power transfer while providing
full reactive power support. The VSC based HVDC system shall use Insulated
Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) technology and shall be considered primarily
for the following without concerns about the available Short Circuit Ratio:
Point to point transmission scheme (overhead / cable)
Back to Back transmission scheme
Parallel operation with LCC HVDC system
Multi-terminal system
Supplying load in isolated areas

2. Design Consideration: The following minimum technical information shall be

required for VSC based HVDC installation:
(a) The amount of power to be transmitted including overload requirement
(b) The transmission distance and type of DC transmission line (cable or
 overhead line or a combination thereof)
(c) Length of overhead line, length of cable as applicable
(d) DC transmission voltage
(e) Power system characteristics of sending and receiving end system to
which VSC transmission system is connected, including all the parallel
transmission system, if any
(f) Steady State performance requirements
(g) Dynamic performance requirements, including control and monitoring
facilities
(h) Transient performance

3. System Studies: HVDC control parameters and equipment shall be designed

by carrying out the following studies at different stages of the project:
(a) Design Studies

a) Main Circuit Parameter

b) AC Over-Voltage [DOV, Temporary Over Voltage and Transient
Over Voltage]
c) Low Frequency Characteristics
d) High Frequency Characteristics
e) Transient Stresses
f) External Insulation and Clearances
g) AC Circuit Breaker Requirements
h) Station Earthing
i) Lightning Protection

(b) Performance Studies

i) Losses
ii) Electrical Interference
iii) Electric and Magnetic Fields
iv) Reliability, Availability and Maintainability
v) Audible Noise

(c) Network Studies

i) Stability, Modulation and Frequency Control

ii) AC System Equivalents
iii) Sub-Synchronous Torsional Interaction

4. HVDC Equipment- A typical HVDC station shall consist of the following main
 equipment:

(a) VSC valves and associated equipment and cooling system

(b) Interface transformers;
(c) Converter reactors;
(d) DC reactors*;
(e) DC filters*;
(f) AC filters*;
(g) Control and protection of AC and DC side;
(h) Electrical and mechanical auxiliaries;
(i) Earth electrode station*;
(j) AC switchyard equipment;
(k) DC switchyard equipment;
(l) Surge arresters;
(m) Measuring instruments;
(n) Communication system between converter stations (Optical/ PLCC).
(o) Wall bushings (AD and DC side)
(p) Insertion resistors
(q) DC voltage balancing device* (for symmetrical monopole configuration
only)
* if applicable

5. Converter Station AC Yard

(a) AC bus equipment- The AC circuit breakers, disconnectors,

instrument transformers and other switchyard equipment shall be
similar to that of the equipment specified under Regulation 43. The
bus rating shall be adopted according to the calculation considering
single bus operation. The switching duties of the AC circuit breakers
will be decided based on transient over voltage study, insulation co-
ordination, AC filters (if applicable) and protection studies.

(b) Insertion resistors- Insertion resistors are used to limit inrush currents
during energization of the converter. They may be located on the
primary or converter side of the interface transformer. After the
energization process is completed the resistor is bypassed by a
disconnector or bypass switch.
(c) AC harmonic filters
(i) State-of-the-art Voltage-Sourced Converters (VSC) in modular
multi-level converter (MMC) topologies generate nearly no or only
a small amount of harmonics. The need of ac harmonic filters shall
be evaluated based on study results.

(ii) If filters are required, the main filter equipment namely capacitors,
reactors and resistors shall comply with the requirements of
f o l l o w i n g IEC or or Equivalent IS as follows:

Capacitors : IEC 60871;

Reactors : IEC 60289;
Resistors : IEC 62001.

(d) If study results confirm the need for power line carrier (PLC) filtering-
PLC filters shall be installed close to interface transformers to
mitigate high frequency harmonic currents generated during IGBT
switching.

(e) Interface transformers

(i) The interface transformers shall be single phase units. Fo r

sm alle r HV DC rat in gs (e . g. bac k -t o-ba c k s cheme s )
t hree pha se t ransf o rme rs ma y be po ss ib le . The
transformers shall comply with the requirements of relevant
standards. The maximum flux density in any part of the core
and yoke at the rated MVA, voltage and frequency shall be
such that under 10% continuous over voltage condition it does
not exceed 1.9 Tesla. The maximum temperature rises of
t o p oil and a v e r a g e winding shall be 40°C and 45°C
respectively over an ambient temperature of the terminal
where the equipment are installed and operated.

(ii) The insulation level for the transformer AC (line side)

windings and bushings shall be as given at Regulation 43
and insulation
levels of the valve side windings shall be determined in
accordance with studies. The impedance of the transformer
shall be determined in accordance with studies and variations
in impedance shall be as per requirements of relevant
standards.

(iii) Interface transformers shall be equipped with On Load Tap

Changer (OLTC) mechanism, Metal Oxide Varistor (MOV)
devices ( i f a p p l i c a b l e ) shall be provided between tap leads
 of the OLTC. The OLTC tap steps shall be determined in
accordance with the operating strategy of the converters.

(iv) The requirements of soak pits and firewalls shall be in line

with R e g u l a t i o n 4 3

(f) VSC valves

(i)
each VSC level is effectively a single phase VSC in its own
right, and contains power semiconductors and a capacitor for
energy storage. Each level has two main terminals used for
the series connection of the VSC levels within the valve. By
appropriate control of the IGBTs within the valve level, either
the voltage of the capacitor or zero volts can be applied to
the main terminals of the VSC level. The IGBT valves, used
for converting AC to DC or vice versa, shall be complete with
associated auxiliaries and cooling system. The VSC valves
shall be tested as per IEC 62501. Adequate redundant devices
shall be provided to enable continued operation in case of failure
of an individual component. Advanced converter topologies shall
be used to reduce losses of VSC based HVDC converters.
Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) topology, consisting of
several sub-modules (combination of IGBT switches and
capacitors), shall be preferred. MMC topology for VSC-HVDC
system can have half bridge or full bridge submodules and the
configuration shall be decided based on system requirement, loss
and DC fault ride through capability.

(ii) The VSC valves shall be water cooled, air insulated and
indoor type. The valves shall be either suspended type or
floor mounted type depending upon the operating DC voltage
and seismic requirements.

(iii) The VSC valve cooling system shall use de-ionized water
circulated in a closed cycle. The cooling unit shall comprise
of a de-ionizer, expansion vessel, conductivity, flow and
temperature sensors, mechanical filters, etc. Adequate
redundancies shall be provided. Necessary control and
monitoring including tripping of the HVDC system in case of
cooling system failure shall be provided.

(iv) The valves shall be placed in the valve hall which shall have
a positive pressure over atmospheric pressure and humidity
control feature. The pressurization will be maintained by
ventilation system. The valve hall shall have fire and early
smoke detection system.

6. Converter Station DC Yard

 (a) The DC yard comprises equipment such as HVDC bushings, DC
reactors, DC filters (if applicable), DC current and voltage
measuring instruments and switchgear.
(b) The creepage distance for DC yard and other areas shall be
maintained as indicated below:

Insulator type Under Under

light heavy
pollution pollution
Indoor porcelain or composite 20 mm/kV 20 mm/kV
insulators for valve hall and indoor
smoothing reactor area
Indoor DC yard (other than NA 30 mm/kV
smoothing reactor)
Outdoor porcelain insulators or 50 mm/kV 60 mm/kV
bushings with RTV coating
Outdoor composite insulators or 50 mm/kV 50 mm/kV
bushings

(c) DC wall bushing - DC wall bushings, used for electrical connection

between the equipment inside the valve hall and the outdoor DC yard
shall be of polymer housing as per relevant standards.

(d) DC Reactors - The DC reactors (if used) shall be of air core type. The
reactors shall generally comply with relevant standards and shall also
have been subjected to DC tests as per their application.

(e) DC Voltage and Current Measuring Devices- The DC voltage

measuring equipment shall be installed at each pole. The DC
measuring equipment at pole and neutral bus shall be suitably
located based on the control philosophy and different protection zones
such that complete pole and neutral equipment are protected.

(f) DC Filters- If required DC harmonic filters shall be provided in DC yard

to limit harmonic voltages present on the DC lines (pole lines and electrode
lines).

7. Control and Protection

(a) Control
i) DC converter terminals shall be either manned by operator
or controlled by remote Operation of SCADA system. The
control system hierarchy shall be as follows:
(A) Station/ Bipole Control (only for bipolar arrangements);
(B) Pole Control;
 (C) Converter and valve control;

ii) The HVDC converter shall have control features including

but not limited to the following:
(A) Active power control
(B) Reactive power control;
(C) AC Voltage control
(D) Frequency controller (if applicable);
(E) Power modulation control (if applicable);
(F) Runback and run-up functions (if applicable);
(G) Sub synchronous torsional interaction damping control (if
applicable);
(b) Protection
i) The protection equipment shall be designed to be fail-safe and
shall ensure high security to avoid mal-operation/ unwanted
shutdown due to protection equipment failures.
ii) HVDC system protection shall consist of following
protection zones:
a) AC System Protection zone
b) Converter Transformer Protection Zone
c) Secondary Busbar Protection Zone
d) Converter Protection Zone
e) DC Busbar Protection Zone
f) DC line & cable Protection Zone

iii) Each protection system shall h a v e two identical independent

electrical and mechanical systems in c ludin g the following
protections.
(A) AC over- and under-voltage protection
(B) Over- and under-frequency protection
(C) AC busbar differential protection;
(D) Insertion resistor overload protection
(E) AC overcurrent protection
(F) Converter overcurrent protection
(G) Converter overload protection
(H) Converter differential protection
(I) Converter current imbalance protection
(J) DC voltage imbalance protection
(K) DC busbar differential protection
 (L) DC line differential protection
(M) DC over- and under-voltage protection
(N) Electrode line monitoring and protection (if applicable)
(O) DC filter protection (if applicable)
(P) AC filter protection (if applicable)
(c) Software based controls and protection shall be used to permit
flexibility in effecting modifications at a later date. Protection and
controls shall be duplicated for reliability. Protection shall be provided
by numerical relays to suit the requirements of reliability and fast
controllability of the HVDC system.

(d) For bipolar schemes the following operation modes shall be

possible:

i) Balanced/ unbalanced bipolar operation;

ii) Monopolar operation with metallic return;
iii) Monopolar operation with ground return / DMR

(e) The 'Sequence of events' recorder, transient fault recorder, on-line DC

Line fault locator, GPS system, visual display system, operator control
protection and monitoring system shall be a part of the HVDC system.

8. Telecommunication- For smooth operation of the HVDC system,

communication network with high reliability and availability shall be provided for
transmission of control and protection signals between the two HVDC terminals.
The communication system shall be through optical fibers, PLCC or both.

9. Electrode In case of a bipolar configuration, unbalanced operation of

both poles requires a DC current return path in the neutral connection of the
converters. The current return path can be either via a Dedicated Metallic Return
(DMR) conductor or via earth return using earth electrodes at both converter
terminals. The earth electrode station shall not affect the nearby electrical
installation, buried metallic pipelines, oil & gas pipelines, and railway lines etc.
DMR mode shall be preferred if it is difficult to identify a suitable site for earth
electrode station meeting above requirements. If earth electrodes are to be used
the following requirements shall also be considered:

(a) The earth electrode station shall be connected to the terminal by means of
an overhead transmission tine. The earth electrode shall be located at a
minimum distance of approximately 25 km (radial distance) away from the
converter station. It shall be designed to operate continuously at nominal
load and overload as per the requirement. The thorough soil investigation
shall be carried out for shallow & deep resistivity, thermal conductivity and
moisture content etc. at the proposed location. The electrodes shall be
designed for both types of operation, anodic and cathodic.
(b) The earth electrode station shall have sub-electrodes. The maximum
current density at the sub-electrode surface, i.e. the boundary between
backfill (coke) and soil shall not exceed 0.5 A/m 2 in clay soils. The number
of sub-electrodes shall be determined considering that 30% of the sub-
electrodes are not available. The amp hour rating for earth electrode shall
be selected based on the study for duration of earth electrode current and
the service life of the earth electrode station.

(c) Each ground electrode shall have a resistance of less than or equal to 0.3
ohm (both working as an anode and cathode) at 50 oC ambient
temperature

(d) Touch voltage (Vt)- The touch voltage between any grounded metallic
object in the electrode station (including the connection to the overhead
electrode line) and any point in the soil which can be touched by a person
simultaneously shall not exceed 40 V when the electrode is operating at
the 5 sec overload rating.

(e) Step Voltage (Vs)- The step voltage at ground level above the ground
electrode when the electrode is operating at the temporary over-toad rating
s s is the local surface
resistivity in ohm-m.

(f) The above values of resistance: touch and step voltages would depend on
the actual geophysical characteristics of the soil at the place where the
electrode station is located. Suitable mitigation measures shall have to be
adopted in case the site has high resistivity.

(g) In addition, following interference effects shall be considered.

(i) Corrosion of buried metallic structure of foundations

(ii) DC Current in power lines, especially via power transformer neutrals
(risk of saturation of transformers).
(iii) DC current in telephone circuits.
(iv) Effect on the cathodic protection of the buried metallic pipe lines.

*************