Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (POWERGRID), a Maharatna public sector undertaking, has completed a key inter-state transmission project to evacuate renewable energy from Rajasthan’s major solar hubs into the national grid. Through its wholly owned subsidiary POWERGRID Bhadla Sikar Transmission Limited, the company has fully commissioned the transmission system strengthening scheme for the 8.1 GW Solar Energy Zones in Rajasthan under Phase II – Part E. Commercial operations were declared on 16 January 2026, following physical commissioning on 14 January. Awarded through tariff-based competitive bidding, the project enhances grid connectivity for high-yield solar parks in Rajasthan, including the globally recognised Bhadla–Sikar region. With the system now operational, power evacuation from the 8.1 GW solar zones is expected to be seamless, easing long-standing bottlenecks in integrating large-scale renewable capacity. In a regulatory filing, POWERGRID said the project was completed on schedule and will play a pivotal role in India’s green energy corridor by enabling the transfer of solar power from Rajasthan’s desert regions to load centres across the country. The strengthened network is designed to improve grid stability for variable renewable energy, supporting national decarbonisation goals and the expansion of non-fossil fuel capacity. The commissioning comes as POWERGRID continues to advance renewable integration projects nationwide. The company recently secured another assignment to integrate 3 GW of renewable energy in Karnataka, covering installations at Davanagere (0.25 GW) and Bellary (2.75 GW). India added a record 44.5 GW of renewable energy capacity in 2025 up to November, nearly doubling annual additions from the previous year. This included around 35 GW of solar capacity, taking total solar installations to 132.85 GW, while wind capacity rose by 5.82 GW to reach 54 GW.