India’s national power transmission network has reached a major infrastructure milestone, crossing 5 lakh circuit kilometres (ckm) of transmission lines operating at 220 kV and above, along with a transformation capacity of 1,407 GVA. The achievement further strengthens the country’s position as home to the world’s largest synchronous national grid.

The milestone was attained on January 14, 2026, with the commissioning of a 628 ckm, 765 kV transmission line connecting Bhadla II to Sikar II substation. The project has been developed to facilitate evacuation of renewable energy from the Rajasthan Renewable Energy Zone. With the commissioning of this line, an additional 1,100 MW of power can now be transmitted from the Bhadla, Ramgarh and Fatehgarh solar power complexes.

Since April 2014, India’s transmission network has expanded by 71.6 per cent, with the addition of around 2.09 lakh ckm of high-voltage transmission lines. During the same period, transformation capacity has increased by 876 GVA. The country’s inter-regional power transfer capacity has now reached 1,20,340 MW, enabling seamless electricity movement across regions and realising the vision of “One Nation – One Grid – One Frequency.”

Further capacity expansion is underway through inter-state transmission system projects currently under implementation, which are expected to add nearly 40,000 ckm of transmission lines and 399 GVA of transformation capacity. In addition, intra-state transmission projects are set to contribute another 27,500 ckm of lines and 134 GVA of capacity, significantly enhancing grid reliability and power evacuation capabilities.

The continuous strengthening of the transmission network will play a critical role in evacuating the growing share of non-fossil fuel-based power generation, targeted at 500 GW by 2030. The 5 lakh ckm milestone reflects sustained government efforts to ensure reliable, affordable and secure electricity supply while supporting large-scale renewable energy integration across the country.