Some of the highly skilled technocrats and domain experts work with us: Sterling and Wilson

In this exclusive interaction, we have Amogh Nawathe, CEO, T&D Business, Sterling and Wilson Pvt Ltd, discussing a variety of issues whilst executing power T&D projects.

Nawathe also talks about new technologies and practices in the power T&D contracting space, and how Sterling and Wilson is always proactive in adopting them.

 

In a general sense what new challenges are power transmission projects (lines and substations) facing, say over the past decade or so?

Every project has its challenge, which depends on various factors. On project cycle front, some of the major issues faced are – significant time consumption on Concept to Commissioning (C2C), participation from inexperienced players, less freedom given to the EPC company to innovate, and poor redressal mechanism for unforeseen events. During the execution of power transmission projects, several challenges are faced that are distinctive for transmission lines and substations.

“Power transmission line projects are often bogged down by geographical and even geopolitical reasons.”

In the transmission line, the most widely recognized issue is environmental norms, which vary from country to country. Besides, right-of-way (ROW), arranged by the contractor, involves interference from internal and external stakeholders.

Furthermore, there are geographical and geopolitical challenges. In substations, there is an interface with the existing substation, which might have been installed by another EPC contractor. This creates difficulty in the procurement of the equipment, which needs to be synchronized with the existing substation. The safety of workers is another big challenge faced by the contractor.

 

India is moving towards EHV and even UHVAC lines to reduce right-of-way problems. What challenges do such lines encounter?

EHV and UHVAC transport more power over a single land transmission line. The voltage level of lines has no relation to the right-of-way issues. The right-of-way problem could remain the same across the voltage levels. However, the problems could be more from a geopolitical perspective. For example, a region where the right-of-way laws are well defined may have the least related problems and, therefore, all the stakeholders are quite aligned in a defined way. In remote places like north-east, this could still be a challenge.

“Though HVDC power transmission is essentially recommended for a country like India, cost is an important factor.”

What is your view on HVDC as a technology to reduce line loss? What are the technical complexities with HDVC technology?

For a continental country like India, HVDC is essentially recommended for more efficient bulk power transfer over long distances. Once installed, HVDC transmission systems become an integral part of the electrical power system – improving stability, reliability, and transmission capacity.

However, cost is an important factor for deploying HVDC. To transmit via HVDC, two converter stations are needed. One at the transmitting side, and the second at the receiving end when it gets to the desired tie-in destination, to convert back to AC for utilization on the grid. Also, there are challenges in technology adoption, which is still limited to a few manufacturers and EPC contractors. Thus, it is still an expensive technology in India.

 

Please orient us with some key new technologies/practices that Sterling and Wilson has adopted in recent years, with respect to power transmission projects.

“We have always adopted digital solutions, for better collaboration and remote working.”

Sterling and Wilson is a pioneer organization having years of rich experience in EPC contracting. Some of the highly skilled technocrats and domain experts work with us. We are quick on adopting new technologies as per best practices in the industry, and our technology up-gradation practices are always well implemented towards engineering, erection, and commissioning. For projects in engineering, we have been using the most advanced platforms from time to time. For example, the IT app, CAD solutions, FTP server, etc.

We have adopted digital solutions, before the outbreak of the pandemic, for better collaboration and remote working. At the construction sites, we are using the latest equipment, such as ready-mix concrete instead of cement mixer, wherever possible.

 

We appreciate that safety of workers is a very important aspect of power transmission projects, especially when it comes to working in live-line conditions. Please orient us with the general challenges. How have safety techniques improved over time?

For Sterling and Wilson, the health and safety of all the employees is the topmost priority. As a standard practice, we deploy a safety expert at each project site who conducts regular toolbox talks with all the employees and encourages people to strictly adhere to the best HSE practices. We have incentivized our workers for good safety performance through regular audit process and competition. Furthermore, adequate PPE kits and safety equipment are deployed at the construction site. The induction tester helmet is one of the examples which alert our workers reaching near to any live equipment. Other parameters are three-way compliance during the shutdown process to ensure that no equipment is live.

“The cost-benefit analysis still does not favour the use of drones as a regular practice.”

What is your view on the usage of drones for overhead line inspection and survey? Has this practice caught up in India?

Drones are being widely used by power and utility companies. Drones are the future of aerial-based asset management in the utility market because they offer a range of advantages over other conventional methods. Fixed-wing drones are becoming more widely used by utility operators who benefit due to lower cost, reduced risk, and more environmentally conscious benefits compared to helicopters and other types of manned aircraft. With drone inspections, transmission towers may remain functional. Inspections are done from a safe distance while enhancing the efficiency due to data accuracy and reliability with real-time images, video feed, and zoom/thermal/4k capabilities that can be transmitted to a ground control station. Thermal and LIDAR can be used to aid in inspecting and monitoring the corridor for power lines and towers.

While drones have been used by a few Indian contractors, the cost-benefit analysis still doesn’t favour it as a regular practice, as yet. However, in the future, when the cost-benefit ratio will improve, it would see more widespread use in India.

“Sterling and Wilson is proud to have executed some of the challenging projects across the country.”

What comes to your mind as you most challenging power transmission project executed by Sterling and Wilson, in recent times? What were the specific challenges and how were they overcome?

Sterling and Wilson is proud to have executed some of the challenging projects across the country. These projects required technical expertise and dedicated resources for successful execution. The projects executed by us in the north-east region have been a major challenge due to a variety of issues like geographical, weather, and operational. Transportation in the hilly terrain of north-east regions is a big impediment as it takes months to move heavy equipment, such as transformer and reactor, to the site through land route. These are some of the logistics, transportation, and speed-related challenge the company faced throughout the project execution phase.

On the other hand, the acceptability of foreign labour in the state and their safety has been a major concern. However, such circumstance has always tested our project management skills, and despite all the challenges, the company has completed all the projects to the delight of our customs.

(Note: Photographs showing HVDC tranformer and drone are for illustration. All other photographs show domestic and overseas power T&D projects built by Sterling and Wilson.)