Industry body Indian Electrical & Electronics Manufacturers’ Association (IEEMA) recently held its annual convention in Mumbai. The convention, which anchored around the theme “Go Global,” sought to create a roadmap for Indian electrical equipment manufacturers to turn globally competitive. An eminent panel not only deliberated on the said theme but also imparted keen insights on the changing dynamics in the Indian power T&D sector. This special story is based on gleanings from this panel discussion.
Augmenting power transmission capacity is one of India’s foremost objectives as the country strives to transfer an ever growing quantum of power—from generation centres to far-flung consumption areas. Laying overhead power transmission lines is a highly land-centric activity, which is often fraught with difficulties and unpleasant surprises. T&D India got in touch with leading power transmission contractors to understand the ground-level challenges and how the fraternity is working towards surmounting them.
Central transmission utility Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) whose main mandate is development of interregional lines, is willing to support the development of even intrastate power transmission infrastructure, noted I.S. Jha, Chairman & Managing Director, PGCIL. Jha was speaking to T&D India at the sidelines of the company’s recent press conference in Mumbai.
On April 28, 2018, India crossed a very important social milestone—that of achieving 100 per cent village electrification. The Prime Minister, in his Independence Day speech of 2015, had vowed that all the then non-electrified villages, numbering 18,452, will be electrified in 1,000 days thence, which worked out to May 11, 2018. The government announced that with the electrification of Leisang village in Manipur, all villages now stand electrified. Thus, the 1,000-day electrification target was achieved with around 12 days to spare.
Shapoorji Paloonji Group company Sterling and Wilson sees major opportunities in the power transmission and distribution (T&D) sector. Speaking at a select media roundtable in Mumbai, Pradyot Kumar Paine, Chief Operating Officer of the power T&D division of Sterling and Wilson, said that the company has end-to-end capabilities in the power T&D sector projects. “We are ready to deliver anything in the power T&D space across voltages from 415V all the way to 765kV, right from engineering to procurement to construction,” was how Paine summarized the capabilities of the power T&D division of his company.
Even as conventional power T&D contractors are busy with routine government works that range from augmenting capacity of the National Grid right down to household electrification, there is another growth wave in the making—railway electrification.
In terms of number of manufacturers and consumers, the low-voltage cable segment is the largest in the electrical cable industry. Also known as the building wire industry, this segment refers to cables that have low voltage rating, usually 1.1kV. The estimated market size of the building wire segment is around Rs.12,000 crore and the current growth rate is in the region of 8-9 per cent. Real estate is of course the biggest demand driver for this industry.
Over half of the interregional power transmission projects awarded under the tariff-based competitive bidding (TBCB) mechanism are facing right-of-way challenges, a study by T&D India suggests. The basic data for the study was obtained from official reports released by Central Electricity Authority.
India has made a beginning in winning concessions in Brazil’s power transmission market, and with Brazil planning more such auctions, the opportunities for Indian companies appear bright. According to H.E. Rosimar Suzano, Consul General, Consulate General of Brazil in Mumbai, Indian companies like Sterlite Power have already won concessions in the power transmission space in Brazil, and Indian power transmission utility Power Grid Corporation of India has also evinced interest. Suzano was speaking at the IEEMA Convention 2017 that witnessed a series of presentations by diplomats of several countries, on the theme “Make in India – Enhancing Global Footprint.”
T&D India attempts to outline key contours that will describe the power sector over the next five years. While the primary focus is on the power transmission and distribution (T&D) sector, we are also looking at related areas.
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