Hitachi ABB wins ₹120-cr. CLW order

Hitachi ABB Power Grids India said it has won a ₹120-crore order from state-owned Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) for delivering transformers for 400 passenger and freight locomotive engines.

“Through the project, Hitachi ABB Power Grids continues to contribute to the country’s mission to be the world’s first net-zero carbon emitter by the end of the decade,” the company said. Hitachi ABB Power Grids India MD N Venu said the firm’s technology will help successfully balance energy expansion with emission reduction.

For railways, electric energy is supplied as high voltage to the catenary feeder substations. The transformers reduce the voltage to a suitable level before feeding it to the railway catenary conductors used by locomotives. Different railway electrification systems demand different kinds of transformers, it said.

For this project, the company will be delivering transformers split between the 6,531 kilo-volt-ampere (kVA) for CLW’s goods locomotive engines and the 7,775 kVA for passenger locomotive engines. These transformers feed power to essential train functions (e.g. traction, lighting, heating and ventilation, brakes, signalling and communication). They are a critical link in the traction chain, driving train performance and operator services.