Power Grid Corporation of India (POWERGRID) has commissioned the 765 kV double-circuit Khetri–Narela interstate transmission system (ISTS), part of the larger 8.1 GW transmission infrastructure to evacuate solar power from Rajasthan to Delhi and Northern India.

The transmission system is a crucial link in Rajasthan’s renewable evacuation network. Its commissioning has come at a time when the state has been grappling with large-scale solar and wind curtailment, leading to revenue losses for renewable energy developers and green energy remaining unutilized.

Grid-India’s ‘Operational Feedback on Transmission Constraints (April-June 2025)’ report had highlighted how a delay of over 18 months in commissioning the transmission system strengthening program had stalled the evacuation of a large capacity of renewable energy in solar-rich Rajasthan. The Phase II (Parts E, G, and G1) transmission system strengthening project was scheduled for completion in November 2023.

In 2021, POWERGRID had bagged Part G of Phase II of the power transmission projects in Rajasthan to evacuate 8.1 GW of power from the state’s solar energy zones with the lowest levelized transmission charges of ₹1.4 billion (~$18.70 million) per annum.

The transmission project included the development of a 765 kV gas-insulated substation in Delhi and the establishment of 765 kV D/C transmission lines passing through Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi, with each line capable of transferring about 4,000 MW of power. `

According to the National Solar Energy Federation of India, several key solar projects under Phase II (765 kV Khetri–Narela D/C line, 765 kV Bhadla II–Sikar II D/C line, and the 400 kV Narela–Maharani Bagh line) faced curtailments due to delays in transmission infrastructure by up to two years.

Transmission infrastructure is a weak link in India’s energy transition story. Grid network augmentation has not kept pace with the aggressive addition of renewable energy capacity in recent years. Earlier this year, Parliament was informed that 14 ISTS projects were facing prolonged right-of-way issues, mainly due to demand for higher compensation than rates determined by state governments.