In a significant step towards strengthening power infrastructure in Mumbai and the wider Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Adani Electricity Mumbai Infrastructure Limited (AEMIL), a subsidiary of Adani Energy Solutions Limited (AESL), has commissioned a 1,000 megawatt (MW) high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission link between Kudus and Aarey.
The project includes a 30-kilometer (km) overhead line and a 50-kilometer underground corridor. It was planned to work in a densely populated city. It also has the first small HVDC substation in the world.
The project was started after the October 2020 Mumbai blackout, which showed how weak the city’s power supply was. It is part of a larger effort to make the grid more reliable and strong.
At its core, the link enables Mumbai and the MMR to draw more electricity from outside the city, including renewable energy generated in other regions. While Mumbai is already connected to the national grid, the HVDC link enhances this connectivity by enabling more controlled, efficient, and higher-capacity power flows, particularly for renewable energy integration.
This is a change in how electricity is delivered to the MMR, which is one of India’s most energy-hungry urban areas. The extra 1,000 MW of capacity makes the grid more reliable, lowers the risk of big outages, and makes it less dependent on power generation in the city.
The development reflects AESL’s broader focus on building modern transmission infrastructure to support India’s growing renewable energy capacity. As demand rises in urban centres, integrating long-distance clean power into city grids is becoming critical to sustaining growth while meeting decarbonisation goals.
The project deployed Voltage Source Converter (VSC)-based HVDC technology. This enables faster and more precise control of power flows, improves voltage stability, and enhances grid reliability, particularly in space-constrained urban environments.
It also has important operational benefits, such as dynamic voltage support, lower transmission losses over long distances, and black-start capability, which means that power can be restored without relying on an outside source and outages can be fixed faster.
The Kudus–Aarey link is among the largest urban HVDC infeeds globally and is expected to significantly increase the share of power sourced from outside Mumbai, easing pressure on in-city generation and strengthening grid resilience as demand continues to grow across the MMR.
Kandarp Patel, CEO, Adani Energy Solutions Ltd. said, “With the commissioning of the Aarey–Kudus transmission line, Mumbai now has a modern power corridor capable of integrating large-scale renewable energy with high reliability. It is one of the fastest HVDC project ever commissioned which is powered by advanced VSC-based HVDC technology. The project enhances grid stability, decongests existing networks and strengthens the city’s energy security. This marks a significant step towards a cleaner, more resilient energy future for Mumbai.”
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