Tata Power-DDL, Nissin Electric Launch Micro Substation Demonstration

Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (Tata Power-DDL) and Nissin Electric, based in Kyoto (Japan), will kick-start a demonstration project to supply electricity from India’s first Micro Substation with a Power Voltage Transformer (PVT) to ensure stable power for areas without a power grid.

Tata Power-DDL, a power utility, and Nissin Electric, a Japan-based electric equipment company, will develop the project as part of the International Demonstration Project. This project focuses on Japan’s Energy Efficiency Technologies, which was publicly solicited by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). Tata Power-DDL and Nissin Electric signed a Project Agreement (PA) on August 21, 2024, to commence the project.

The project aims to provide cost-effective and stable power to remote areas across India that are far from the power grid or have underdeveloped grids but are near power transmission lines. Instead of constructing an extensive network that requires a substantial budget and large installation space, the Micro Substation with PVT can convert high-voltage power directly from transmission lines into low-voltage power suitable for residential consumers. For this demonstration project, a 100 kVA installation will directly step down 3-phase 66 kilovolts to a 1-phase 240-volt power supply.

The installation will require approximately 40 square meters of space. All necessary electrical equipment, including protection and switchgear, will be customized for this specific installation. This technology is designed to provide low-cost, reliable power to remote load centers in challenging terrains. Additionally, the micro-substation has the potential to contribute to disaster recovery efforts.

Speaking on the project, Gajanan S. Kale, Chief Executive Officer, of Tata Power-DDL said, “We are excited to join hands with Nissin Electric to run this momentous project that has the potential to change the matrix of power supply. It is also in line with Tata Power-DDL’s commitment towards sustainable and reliable power supply and holds immense potential to solve the issues related to power supply in the large remote & rural areas of India.”

This demonstration project is scheduled to run until FY2025. After installing and testing the equipment at a substation on the outskirts of Delhi, the company will start operations in March 2025. This is the first demonstration project of Micro Substation with PVT in India.

Commenting upon the objective of the project, Kenji Kobayashi, Managing Director, Nissin Electric Co. Ltd said, “We, at Nissin Electric, are stepping up efforts to promote SDGs across our business verticals. On one hand, this project targets two areas of SDGs – Affordable & clean energy and Industry, innovation & Infrastructure, on the other, it provides us an opportunity to make substantial contribution in India’s evolving energy infrastructure along with our partner Tata Power-DDL.”

Nissin Electric, along with Tata Power-DDL will verify environmental compliance, the reliability of power supply, the effectiveness of power quality, and the local load characteristics from the data generated. Additionally, the company will establish a technology to supply stable power to areas where a power grid is not yet developed or non-electrified areas, apart from expanding these technologies to other regions in India possibly with Tata Power-DDL and other countries facing similar issues.

Before the start of the project, NEDO signed a letter of intent (LoI) with Power Finance Corporation Limited (PFC), which is a leading Non-Banking Financial Corporation under the administrative control of India’s Ministry of Power, on January 10th of this year regarding a demonstration project to supply power through a micro substation using PVT.