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INDIGRID PARTNERS WITH NORWEGIAN CLIMATE effective sourcing of inputs. Andhra Pradesh has offered land
INVESTMENT FUND, OTHERS FOR TRANSMISSION options at Machilipatnam, Ramayapatnam, or Mulapeta for the
PROJECTS IN INDIA proposed refinery and associated petrochemicals complex.
Power sector infrastructure investment trust IndiGrid announced INFRASTRUCTURE
that it has formed strategic partnerships with British International GOVERNMENT INVITES BIDS FOR AI INFRASTRUCTURE
Investment (BII), the Norwegian Climate Investment Fund, and PROVIDERS UNDER `10,372 CRORE INDIA AI MISSION
Techno Electric and Engineering Company to develop greenfield The government has announced a call for bids to empanel
Interstate Transmission System (ISTS) projects across India. artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure providers under the
During the fiscal year 2024, IndiGrid successfully operationalized its `10,372-crore India AI Mission, which received cabinet approval
first greenfield ISTS project, Kallam Transmission, and secured five in March. The mission aims to develop a robust AI ecosystem
additional projects in both ISTS and Battery Energy Storage Systems by providing access to high-speed computing infrastructure,
(BESS). These projects represent a tentative capital expenditure of including graphics processing units (GPUs), accelerators, and
approximately `2,000 crore, which is set to be deployed over the Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), to various stakeholders such as
next 12-24 months. As part of this collaboration, BII and Norfund academia, startups, researchers, and government bodies.
(through KNI India AS, Norfund’s joint venture with KLP, Norway’s Empaneled entities, including data centers and cloud service
largest pension company) will invest in three of IndiGrid’s ISTS providers, will offer these AI services at competitive rates
projects won last year, which are currently under construction. determined through the bidding process. The mission, managed
These projects include Ishanagar Power Transmission (IPTL), by IndiaAI under the Digital India Corporation, will feature over
Dhule Power Transmission (DPTL), and Kallam Transco (KTCO). The 10,000 GPUs to support the development of AI technologies.
projects aim to support the evacuation of around 6 gigawatts Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary at the Ministry of
(GW) of renewable energy in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Electronics and IT (MeitY), emphasized that the IndiaAI Mission
Maharashtra. Additionally, Techno Electric and Engineering aims to address the high cost of GPU-based cloud services in India,
Company will co-develop the IPTL and DPTL projects. Techno will which are currently double the rates in countries with extensive GPU
contribute minority capital and will be responsible for the complete installations. The bid document, issued by MeitY, specifies that
execution of these projects on a Lump Sum Turnkey (LSTK) basis. the selected agencies will provide high-performance computing,
IndiGrid plans to acquire full ownership of these projects once they network, and storage services necessary for the mission’s initiatives,
become operational and start generating revenue. including the development of large language models (LLMs)
Rohit Anand, Head of Infrastructure Equity, Asia at British and other AI applications. The process will involve a transparent
International Investment, emphasized the importance of this bidding procedure to ensure that AI services are provided at the
initiative, stating, “India requires a substantial investment of `4.75 lowest possible rates. Empaneled providers will be engaged for a
lakh crore in the transmission sector to facilitate the integration of 36-month period, with the potential for extension based on mutual
renewable energy capacities and meet its decarbonization goals. agreements. The IndiaAI Mission will subsidize the AI service costs
As a long-term partner and committed climate finance provider for approved projects. Interested bidders must be capable of
to India, we are delighted to bring not just our capital but also our offering 1,000 AI compute units within six months of signing the
ESG expertise to support the transmission sector, which is a vital agreement, with each unit required to have a processing speed of
part of India’s energy transition.” at least 15 teraflops (TFLOPS). Nvidia, a leading GPU manufacturer,
IndiGrid CEO Harsh Shah highlighted the growth potential, saying, is expected to play a significant role in this initiative. The deadline
“On the back of India’s commitment to energy transition and grid for bid submissions is September 6.
parity across renewable energy technologies, including BESS,
we are witnessing tremendous investment opportunities in our CABINET APPROVES `15,611 CRORE FOR BANGALORE
target areas. This offers a compelling prospect for investors with a METRO RAIL PHASE-3
preference for sustainability.” The Cabinet recently greenlit Phase-3 of the Bangalore Metro
Rail Project, which will see the development of two elevated
SHIPPING MINISTRY PROPOSES NEW PORT corridors stretching 44.65 km and comprising 31 stations, at a
CONSTRUCTION IN ANDHRA PRADESH TO COMPLEMENT cost of `15,611 crore. Phase-3 includes Corridor-1, running 32.15
PLANNED REFINERY. km from JP Nagar 4th Phase to Kempapura along the Outer Ring
The Shipping Ministry has proposed constructing a new seaport in Road West, featuring 22 stations. Corridor-2 extends 12.50 km from
Andhra Pradesh alongside Bharat Petroleum Corp’s (BPCL) planned Hosahalli to Kadabagere along Magadi Road, with nine stations.
refinery. This strategic move aims to streamline development and Upon completion, Bengaluru’s metro rail network will total 220.20
reduce costs by integrating the port’s construction with the refinery. km. “This expansion will significantly ease traffic congestion and
A senior official from the Shipping Ministry recently informed improve connectivity across key areas of Bengaluru, including the
federal and Andhra Pradesh officials about this plan, emphasizing Outer Ring Road West and Magadi Road,” the government stated.
its economic benefits. Integrating the port with the refinery is The new corridors will provide direct access to the international
expected to lower construction costs and provide a steady airport and Outer Ring Road East, connecting major IT hubs
stream of business for the port, with the refinery serving as a key and integrating with existing and upcoming transport facilities,
anchor customer. Indian refineries, which primarily import crude including bus stands and railway stations. The project is expected
oil, benefit significantly from proximity to ports to facilitate cost- to handle around 2.6 million riders daily once operational.
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