Laser Power & Infra wins HPSEB letter of intent for HTLS reconductoring project in Himachal Pradesh

constructionworld.in

by retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 points

Laser Power & Infra has received a letter of intent from the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board for a turnkey reconductoring project in the Nalagarh Electrical Division. The project involves replacing conventional overhead conductors with High Temperature Low Sag (HTLS) conductors while keeping existing towers in place. This approach boosts transmission capacity without needing new rights-of-way or tower construction, cutting both cost and environmental impact. The order is valued at Rs 41.5 million and marks the first commercial use of Laser's Aluminium Encapsulated Carbon Core Conductors, made under a licensing agreement with TS Conductor Corp of the USA. The AECC design uses a carbon fibre composite core to reduce sag and increase current carrying capacity. Execution of the contract is expected to demonstrate the viability of reconductoring for Indian state utilities and may encourage wider adoption in similar transmission corridors.

1 comment

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Rs 41.5 million for a reconductoring project is small but it is the first commercial deployment of that AECC conductor in India. Worth watching if it leads to more orders.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

The interesting part is using carbon core conductors to uprate existing lines without new towers. That can cut years off transmission upgrades in constrained corridors. Wonder what the timeline is for Nalagarh.

eco_tracker_99·3 months ago·1 pts

If this works at scale it could be a faster path to add capacity than building new lines. The environmental footprint is lower too since you reuse the same right-of-way and towers.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

State utilities are usually conservative about new conductor tech. A successful pilot in HPSEB could open the door for similar projects elsewhere. The key is whether the cost per km is competitive with traditional reconductoring.

solar_winds_05·3 months ago·1 pts

Carbon core conductors have been used in the US and Europe for a while. The India angle is local manufacturing under license. That could bring costs down if volumes pick up.

retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Right. The manufacturing agreement with TS Conductor is from March 2025. So this is early days. I want to see the actual sag and ampacity data after installation before calling it a game changer.