T&D India (Dec 2016): The Need for Real Transformation

One cannot imagine transmission and distribution of electricity without the ubiquitous trans-

former. Whether it is an extra high-voltage power transformer at the power generating

plant or whether a low-voltage one at the local substation, the role of a transformer is integral.

The transformer has unfortunately earned India a dubious distinction. On the one hand, the

subcontinent is basking in glory having produced 1,200kV transformers, the highest voltage

level in the world. In fact, commercial power transmission lines at this ultra-high voltage will

soon become a reality in India. On the other hand, India stares at the ignominy of having the

highest failure rate when it comes to distribution transformers. Studies have proved beyond

doubt that low-rating distribution transformers are available at a price that is less than the sum

of costs of the components of a standard-quality distribution transformer. This dichotomy is

both intriguing and appalling.

Transformer manufactures admit that making a distribution transformer is an “easy” task; it is

nothing more than assembling large components. Unscrupulous elements can easily start their

business and can even earn handsomely by selling their substandard products to power utili-

ties. As capital goods equipment, distribution transformers are expected to last for 25-30 years

but we have transformers that reach their end of life within 4-5 years.

It is the entire value chain in the Indian transformer industry that needs urgent attention and

correction. There are major issues in the sourcing of raw material—mainly CRGO steel that

needs to be imported in the absence of local manufacturing facilities. There are inadequacies

in enforcing quality standards during production, and there are serious pitfalls in the procure-

ment process of power distribution utilities.

Power distribution utilities need to think beyond the archaic L1 procurement principle where

equipment is generally ordered from suppliers quoting the lowest, in a competitive bid. This L1

procurement simply does not account for quality. This is how substandard transformers enter

the power grid, and this is exactly why, quality-conscious manufacturers that have invested

time, money and resources in creating superior products are ironically edged out.

While one cannot wish away the process of tendering, at least when it comes to govern-

ment expenditure, there is enough reason to transform the procurement process. This is in

the ultimate interest of the consumer, and the nation. An inefficient distribution transformer can

deprive the supply of electricity, and over a period of time, can even made adverse contribution

to socio-economic development.

One must admit that the government is doing much to bring in transparency in the procure-

ment process, across all sectors. However, what is needed today is a radical transformation in

basic tenets that govern the tendering and procurement process. Any serious effort in weeding

out suppliers of inferior distribution transformers must be supported and encouraged. After

all, electricity can be a meaningful enabler of development only when it reaches the end con-

sumer; and it is in this very context that a distribution transformer becomes a vital link in the

electricity value chain.

December 20164T&D India

EDIT PAGE

The need for real transformation

If you begin to understand what you are without trying to change it,then what you are undergoes a transformation.

— J. Krishnamurti

Printed by Abhishek Mishra, published by Abhishek

Mishra on behalf of Amber Media LLP and printed at

M/s Sanmitra Offset Printers, Gala No.219/B, Sussex

Industrial Estate Premises Co-op Society Ltd, D.K.

Cross Marg, Byculla (East), Mumbai 400027 and

published at 412, Veena Chambers, Clive Road No.4,

Masjid (E), Mumbai 400009. Editor: Venugopal Pillai

EditorVenugopal Pillai

Chief Editorial AdvisorHarish Rao

Creative DirectorNitin Parkar

Head – Business DevelopmentAbhishek Mishra

Manager – Sales

Hemant Kumar

Head – Subscription,

Circulation & ProductionRaghuvansh Pandey

Feedback may be sent to

[email protected]

CONTENTS


8 NEWSBTW-Atlanta transformer plant to commission soon

ABB India, IIT-M join hands for microgrids

12 INTERVIEW Private sector participation can help improve operating efficiencyAshok Sethi, COO & ED, Tata Power

Also: Global Snippets (35) Orders & Contracts (40) Achievement (41) Short Takes (42)

30 EXPERT VIEW Designing 1,200kV power transformers can pose huge challenges

Dr Katsutoshi Toda, Chairman & Managing Director, Toshiba Transmission & Distribution India Pvt

32

34

INSIGHT

Q+A

Copper: Material of choice for power transformer conductorsManas Kundu, Director, Energy Solutions at International Copper Association, India.

India urgently needs short-circuit testing facilities for high-voltage transform

Dr. M.K. Shah, Director, ERDA

36 NEW LAUNCHES

Pharox Streak Pro Batten

Prototyping boards from Microchip

Automation cables from Nexans

Siemens 800A switch

37 POWER EQUIPMENT Major orders for Ghatampur power plant placed

FOCUS: TRANSFORMERS

18 INTERVIEWImports of inferior CRGO must stop

B. Lal, Director General, Indian Transformer Manufacturers’ Association (ITMA)

22 LEAD STORYSolving the CRGO puzzle

In this special story, Venugopal Pillai takes an inquiring look into the CRGO muddle, and highlights another

26 INTERVIEWOur aim is to offer good quality at reasonable costJitendra U. Mamtora,

28 INTERVIEW It is time India becomes self-reliant in CRGO Saif F. Qureishi,

NEWS

TW Atlanta Transformers

India Pvt Ltd expects to

commission its modern

transformer manufacturing

plant in Gujarat, by early next

year. Speaking to T&D India

during the Switch Global Expo in

Gujarat, Nick Ye Wang, Director,

BTW Atlanta Transformers, said

that the greenfield plant coming

up at Ankhi village in Bharuch

district is likely to commission

by February 2017. Around 80

per cent of the works have been

completed, noted Wang.

Discussing the joint venture,

which was formed in 2012, Wang

explained that 90 per cent of the

equity in the joint venture is held

by BTW (Baoding Tianwei Baobian

Electric Co Ltd), an entity owned

by the Chinese government, while

the remaining 10 per cent is with

Gujarat-based Atlanta Electricals

Pvt Ltd. When asked about why

BTW did not venture alone in India,

Wang explained that the Chinese

principals strongly advocated

the need of a local partner. It is

interesting to note that Atlanta

Electricals Pvt Ltd, a manufacturer of

power and distribution transformers,

will manufacture transformers up

to the 220kV range, while the joint

venture will focus on high-voltage

transformers, of 220kV and above.

Dwelling on the product range,

Nick Ye Wang explained that BTW-

Atlanta will manufacture power

transformers and reactors up to

1,200kV, traction transformers (up to

220kV), phase-shifting transformers

(up to 400kV) and even HVDC

converter transformers (up to

800kV). “The products will be

rolled out in phases,” Wang

said.

It is worth observing that

Chinese electrical equipment

makers are now actively

considering setting up of a local

manufacturing base, in order to

supply to government-owned

entities. After much deliberation

by industry associations, which

asked for a level-playing field

for Indian companies, the

government has now mandated

that suppliers desirous of

catering to Indian projects need

to have a local manufacturing

base. Another leading transformer

manufacturer from China, TBEA

(Tebian Electric Apparatus), has

already set up its wholly-owned

Indian subsidiary TBEA Energy

(India) Pvt Ltd. The Indian outfit

commissioned its plant, located

at Karjan in Vadodara, Gujarat, in

November 2015. Wang observed

that BTW and TBEA are leaders in

the Chinese transformer market and

are regarded as strong competitors

in China.

Highlighting BTW’s achievements

in the home country, Wang said

that it has supplied a 1,000

MVA, 1,000kV single-phase auto

transformer that is part of China’s

first 1,000kV transmission line and

has been in operation since the end

of 2008. High voltage transformers

(750kV and above) supplied by BTW

worldwide are claimed to have a

zero failure rate since 2002. Baoding

Tianwei Baobian Electric Co Ltd

(BTW) has its roots in Baoding

Transformer, founded in 1958.

On being questioned about the

prospects for BTW-Atlanta in India,

Wang exuded optimism and noted

that the joint venture will largely

cater to the needs of high-voltage

equipment, including 1,200kV gear,

of Central transmission utility Power

Grid Corporation of India Ltd.

T&D India December 20168

BTW-Atlanta transformer plant to commission soon

B

The booth of BTW-Atlanta at the Switch Global Expo 2016, Vadodara.

NTPC to get power lines for coal mining

CHHATTISGARH State Power Transmission

Company Ltd (CSPTCL) will soon start

work on the preliminary and detailed survey

for development of a 132kV power supply

transmission system for NTPC Ltd’s new coal

blocks at Banai and Bhalumuda in Raigarh

district of Chhattisgarh. Speaking to T&D India

CSPTCL said that the new lines will feed

electricity to facilitate mining activities of NTPC

at the new coal blocks. Finer details of the

transmission scheme will be known only after

the survey works are completed, he said.

The Banai coal block, with reserves of around

630 million tonnes, was allotted to NTPC in

March 2015. Commercial production from the

mine is expected to start in May 2020. The

block is linked to NTPC’s upcoming 2,640-mw

Barethi-I power plant in Madhya Pradesh that is

expected to commission in FY20.

Allotted in October 2015, the Banai coal block

has estimated reserves of 550 million tonnes

and is expected to go in production by June

2021. Coal from this mine will be supplied to

the NTPC’s 3x800-mw Kudgi supercritical

power plant in Bijapur district of Karnataka. The

power plant is under construction, albeit with

minor delay in its commissioning schedule. The

December 2016 while the remaining two would

do so by May and July 2017.

NEWS


s part of the government’s

Uchchatar Avishkar Yojana

(UAY) scheme, ABB India

and IIT Madras will collaborate

to develop a power management

system to optimize the operation

of multiple microgrids, with and

without grid connection,

while managing electricity

supply to villages. This

system will also enable

the integration of

individual solar PV

rooftops to a village

microgrid, a release

from ABB India said.

The government

of India is looking at a

generation capacity of 40 GW

in the next five years through grid-

connected rooftop solar PV and small

scale solar PV plants. Such clusters

have the capability of generating

and using renewable energy

locally from one kilowatt to a few

hundred kilowatts. It is imperative

to network such locally distributed

nano- or microgrids for optimal

usage of renewable power across

users, keeping in mind the dynamic

demand/supply situation. Such

inter-connection and interleaving of

microgrids with the existing

distribution system and

infrastructure will

provide economic

benefits for the people,

in terms of reduced

outages and lower

cost of power.

The project scope

includes microgrids

of 20 to 100 kW capacity

equipped with battery storage.

Detailed studies and simulation of

the various system components along

with related control and optimization

logics, protection criteria, monitoring

and communication will also be

undertaken, the release added.

aharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company

Ltd. (MSEDCL, also referred to as Mahadiscom)

has signed an agreement with Sensus, a Xylem

brand, and a global supplier of smart meters and utility-

grade communications systems. The agreement will enable

MSEDCL to pilot FlexNet, which is Sensus’ Advanced

Metering Infrastructure (AMI) solution. The pilot project

will be implemented in the Nagpur area, on trial basis. This

technology trial, according to a release by Sensus, will start

in the next three to four months and will simplify installation

and commissioning of the Sensus FlexNet AMI solution in

MSEDCL’s Nagpur area.

MSEDCL’s requirements for coverage, capacity and part

of longer-term needs of smart grids will be tested, by the

Sensus FlexNet AMI solution. The FlexNet Long Range Radio

technology has exceptional penetration and reach to enable a

simple and robust architecture for all applications. It is expected

to help MSEDCL, to reduce power theft, data loss and improve

billing and collection processes. With operations and service

facilities in five continents, Sensus is a global leader in utility

infrastructure systems and resource conservation.

The Sensus release noted that at present, around 32 per cent

of Indians live in urban areas and due to inherenet diversity

amongst consumer classes, implementation of urban smart

metering communication networks becomes difficult.

ABB India, IIT-M join hands for microgrids

A

MDigital simulation centre

proposedABB India has signed a MoU with National Institute of Technical

kind digital simulation centre of excellence for teachers, students

and industry engineers to develop a deeper understanding

of the underlying multi-physics and design principles for the

manufacturing of various best in class electromechanical

equipment in India. The electro-mechanical equipment industry

is a critical element in the success of the proposed exponential

growth in the Indian power sector and needs to reach a quality

level among the best in class to become a manufacturing hub of

global repute.

The transformation of the power generation, transmission

and distribution sector as well as of manufacturing industries

increases the demand for competitive and high quality products,

both to satisfy the domestic demand and to increase India’s

export, a release from ABB India said. Optimal and robust

design of electro-mechanical equipment in the current context is

guided by the recent advances in high performance computing

machines, parallel processing and simulation tools. Digitalization

is starting to pervade human activities, be this leisure or business,

still manufacturing of any equipment must be based on reliable

design to handle the basic natural phenomena, namely thermal,

mechanical and electromagnetics.

SHILPI Cable Technologies has planned to

launch more products in the B2C segment

with a view to improving its market

penetration, according to Manish Goel,

Managing Director, quoted in a statement

New B2C launches will be made in the second

the company expects to boost its overall

performance through the proposed foray in

the railway segment, Goel said.

26.84 per cent growth in revenues compared

with contribution from all the segments. Our

focus on consistently increasing our network

and new product development using advance

research and development techniques have

augmented well with our vision to become a

$1-billion company by 2020.”

More B2C brands

from Shilpi Cable

Mahadiscom in tie-up with Sensus for AMI


INTERVIEW

India is moving to the Smart Grid

architecture and we are sure that

in your command areas in Mumbai

and Delhi, Tata Power has already

introduced smart grid-like features.

Please discuss.

Tata Power is the first Indian power

utility to launch the Automated

Demand Response (ADR) project

with smart meters in Delhi last

year. It is one of the first projects

in the world where ADR and AMI

(advanced metering infrastructure

for smart meters) are conceptualised

together. The project is implemented

in partnership with IBM, Honeywell,

Landis+Gyr with participation of

select industrial and commercial

consumers of Tata Power Delhi

Distribution; and has been rolled

out post the approval of the Delhi

Electricity Regulatory Commission

(DERC).

Tata Power, Mumbai installed

Automatic Meter Reading system in

year 2009, covering all industrial and

commercial consumers as well as DT

check meters. The data from meters

is captured in central server every

midnight using GPRS modems. The

process of meter reading and billing

was thus fully automated and requires

no human intervention. In year 2013,

one of the largest Radio Frequency

based smart metering projects in India

was installed in Mumbai covering

about 5,000 low-end residential

consumers. This project included

the installation of meters with built

in RF communication modules, data

concentrator units (DCUs), head end

software and meter data acquisition

(MDAS). Metered data is collected

every hour through RF mesh network

communication and transmitted to a

central server using GPRS network.

Meter data received is used for

automated generation of bills without

human interference

Take us through the technological

advancements that you have

planned in your power distribution

circles in Mumbai and Delhi. Also,

tell us about improvements to sub-

transmission infrastructure.

Tata Power is a pioneer in innovation

and technology and has brought

tremendous value addition and

benefits to its customers through

various initiatives. Mumbai with its

typical demographic spread poses

challenges of installing substations

in public areas. With little or no open

space available for establishing such

substations, it was imperative for

Tata Power to look for technological

interventions that could overcome

the space constraints and at the same

Tata Power is amongst India’s oldest and largest power utilities, with a presence the entire power value

Tata Power has ushered the public private partnership in each of the segments of power generation, transmission and distribution. We have Ashok Sethi taking us through the power distribution activities of Tata Power, highlighting the vast improvements that the

to its power distribution circles. Private sector participation can bring about much needed

distribution, feels

Venugopal Pillai.

Private sector participation can

— Ashok Sethi, COO & ED, Tata Power


time be a safe installation. Tata Power

has introduced various initiatives to

reduce space constraint & ensure

timely installation and enhance

safety of its distribution network in

Mumbai such as:

The high voltage distribution system

(HVDS) deploys pole mounted

transformers with associated low

voltage (LV) distribution. The LV

coaxial service cables and the LV

connector system are provided

with plug-in type design thereby

reducing technical losses and

enhanced safety features coupled

with higher reliability. These

technological introductions for

HV/LV distribution system are

essentially tool free and eliminates

the risk of errors in the field.

The E-House (Electrical House)

helps to reduce space and

installation time for 33/11kV

grid substations. E-House is a

prefabricated enclosure housing

the 33kV/11kV switchgear

with associated auxiliaries

installed, tested and ready to be

commissioned once delivered to

site.

The installation of underground

feeder pillar (Link Box) along

with a new generation compact

and fully insulated service pillar

into the LV distribution network,

will help to enhance safety and

cut down the electrical losses,

eliminate the menace of power

theft and pilferages in congested

areas where space is a constraint.

The Centre has introduced the UDAY

(Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana)

scheme with an objective of making

state-owned power distribution

utilities financially viable. What is

your overall view on the scheme

and its potential success?

UDAY is a very promising initiative.

UDAY provides an enabling

environment and assures the rise of

vibrant and efficient state discoms

through the permanent resolution

of past as well as potential future

issues of the sector. It empowers

discoms with the opportunity to

break even in the next few years.

A critical element of UDAY is that

states will take over the future losses

of discoms in a graded manner. Thus

starting from 2017-18, the loss that a

discom may incur will be considered

for the state’s fiscal deficit FRBM

targets. In 2017-18, 5 per cent of

the previous year’s losses would be

taken over; in 2018-19, 10 per cent;

2019-20, 25 per cent; and by 2020-

21, 50 per cent will have to be taken

into the state’s FRBM fiscal deficit

targets. This essentially implies

that unlike previous schemes, this

time the states will be responsible

for any discom losses. This puts the

onus on the state discoms and state

governments to ensure sustainable

long term solutions.

The UDAY scheme can be a

torchbearer for the governments

“Power for All by 2019” agenda,

provided the states accept the scheme

through a tripartite agreement

between power ministry, government

of india, state governments and

discoms and work towards reduction

of AT&C losses.

Your joint venture for power

distribution in Delhi—Tata Power

Delhi Distribution Ltd—is hailed

as the most successful public-

private partnership in the power

distribution sector. Tell us in brief

about the vast improvement that

has accrued since the days of Delhi

Vidyut Board.

The company’s partnership

for distribution with the state

government of Delhi for its North

Delhi customers, Tata Power Delhi

Distribution Ltd, is the only success

story of privatisation in India. This

company serves over 1 million

customers (from a population of 4.5

million) spread over in an area of 510

sqkm and has a peak load of 1,050

mw. Since its formation in 2002,

the company has launched a series

of technological improvements for

upgrading reliability and other

customer services.

Measures like energy audits,

replacement of old meters with

theft-proof electronic meters,

automated meter reading,

aggressive enforcement and public

awareness drives have reduced

the current AT&C loss percentage

to Delhi Distribution well below

the target loss level percentage

that has been committed to the

regulatory authorities. To create

greater operational efficiencies,

better load management and

improvement in consumer services,

TPDDL has invested over Rs.1,350

crore in capital expenditure during

the past five years. TPDDL is

automating its grids, mapping the

network (for quicker fault location

and isolation) and automating the

outage management system on

the gas insulated switchgear (GIS)

platform.

The reliability, quality of power

supply and the customer services

offered by TPDDL are one of the best

in the country and internationally.

From an average pendency of nearly

One lakh new connections and a

waiting period of six months to one

year at the time of privatization in

June 2002 today it has come down

to just 4000 applications for new

connections which are provided in a

record three to four days’ time.

We feel that privatisation of power

distribution has been an area that

the government has not been too

TATA POWERINTERVIEW


INTERVIEW

successful in. What is your take on

the matter?

The term “Public-Private Partnership”

(PPP) describes a spectrum of

possible relationships between public

and private sector for the cooperative

provision of infrastructure services.

PPP has been also implemented by

way of privatization and appointment

of distribution franchisee in some

states.

Private sector participation helps

bring technical and managerial

expertise, improve operating

efficiency, large scale injection

of capital, rationalization/cost

based tariffs for services, better

responsiveness to consumer needs

and satisfaction.

Tata Power has showcased

three successful public-private

partnerships in power generation,

transmission and distribution in

India. For generation, Tata Power

and Damodar Valley Corporation

(DVC) commissioned Maithon Power

Ltd as the first successful public-

private partnership in green field

generation project in the country. For

Transmission, Tata Power along with

Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd.

created Powerlinks Transmission Ltd

for evacuation of Power from Tala

hydro plant in Bhutan to Delhi.

Another successful execution of

Public Private Partnership can be

seen through the functioning of the

Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd

(TPDDL). The organization is a joint

venture between the Tata Power

Company and the Government of

Delhi and has bought tremendous

value by bringing down AT&C losses

to 13 per cent from 52 per cent in

record time. No other private player

has this exposure.

Please discuss the relative merits

and demerits of the licensing model

and the franchisee model that the

government is adopting to privatize

power distribution.

The public private partnership

in the distribution of electricity

encompasses all functions and

obligations relating to distribution of

electricity in the license area. In the

licensing model, the concessionaire,

selected through competitive bidding,

is responsible for maintenance,

operation and upgradation of the

distribution network and for the

supply of electricity to the regulated

consumers. Reduction of AT&C

losses, improvement in the quality

of power supply, strengthening of

the distribution network, improved

customer satisfaction and introduction

of competition through open access

are some of the merits of the model.

However, success of this model

largely depends on its structuring.

Meanwhile, the franchisee

model of power distribution has the

potential to addresses constraints

such as political acceptability,

resistance against private ownership

of public assets, etc. It also provides

other advantages like selection of

private operator through competitive

bidding, strong incentives to reduce

transmission and distribution losses

and significant improvement in

consumer interface.

We in Tata Power believe in

maintaining flexibility with our

approach based on the requirement

of a particular project. The choice

of model will depend on the

requirements and the circumstances

specific to a project.

If you were to suggest three

measures to accelerate privatization

of power distribution circles, what

would they be?

Distribution PPP model is a good

route to bring private investments in

the distribution business and should

be implemented in other states for

efficiency improvement. There is also

a pressing need to introduce new

technologies and modern mining

methods to improve productivity

and to increase scalability and

sustainability of mining operations.

Other measures could be:

Unbundling needs to be carried out

on priority basis and open access to

transmission strengthened

A nominal tariff increase

Alternate models of distribution

particularly decentralized

generation using renewable energy

sources could be effectively used to

address the needs of the country’s

rural and semi-rural communities.

Tata Power is amongst India’s

oldest power utilities in India. We

understand that in Mumbai, your

oldest area of operation, there is a

switchover facility for consumers.

Please give us a background and

tell us the latest position of the

switchover.

Tata Power currently has the license

to cover the area from Colaba to

Mahim, falling under Mumbai City

Revenue district, Bandra to Dahisar

and Chunabatti to Vikhroli of

Mumbai suburban Revenue District,

area of Mira Bhayandar Municipal

Corporation including area covered

under chene and varsave villages,

which are continuous to Tata Power’s

existing area of license.

Tata Power is growing at a rapid

pace with the significant addition

of 6.8 lakh consumers in Mumbai.

The consumers in the below-300

kwh category enjoy lowest tariff

offered by the Company. Hence, the

Company is witnessing an increase

in its consumer base, especially

in this category. We have to look

at the growth of Mumbai in total

which is growing at a rate of 3 per

cent in MU (million kwh) terms.

This roughly translates to a rate of

40 to 50 thousand customers per

year, out of which we are adding

15 to 20 thousand into Tata Power.

The number of switchover and

changeover customers is difficult to

predict as it is dependent on tariff.

TATA POWER


INTERVIEW

What is the overall situation with

respect to BIS certification of

international suppliers of CRGO?

How many suppliers have registered

so far?

There are 15 foreign mills in the

world, located in USA, Japan,

Germany, South Korea, UK, Russia,

Poland, Brazil, China etc. owned

by 9-10 manufacturers producing

CRGO electrical steel. All of them

have already got themselves

registered with BIS for certification

as per IS:3024 for supply of BIS

certified/marked material to Indian

transformer industry directly or

through their authorized dealers.

What is the overall situation with

respect to availability of prime

grade CRGO?

The global production is about 3.5

million tonnes per year, whereas

the present annual requirement of

the Indian industry is about 3 lakh

tonnes, which is likely to go up to 4 to

5 lakh tonnes in the XII Plan period

and to about 7.5 lakh per year at the

end of XIII Plan period. There is no

shortage of material as such. Rather

the prices have reportedly fallen due

to the latest market trends.

Has the usage of inferior or scrap

CRGO subsided over the past few

years?

Despite quality Control Order issued

by Ministry of Steel in March 2012,

effective from July 2014,there has

not been much impact on the use of

spurious/used/scrap CRGO in India.

This is perhaps due to the strong

lobby of vested interest. Protracted

agitation in writing at all levels

has failed as these unscrupulous

elements devise ways and means

to import this material with the

connivance of custom authorities.

There is information that scrap

CRGO is being imported in the form

of laminations as “transformer parts”

from the neighbouring countries. Of

late even rejected/scrap CRGO styled

only as “scrap steel” from aboard in

large quantities finds its way in the

India transformer industry.

In fact ITMA has written and sent

a white paper after it was asked by

Department of Heavy Industries in

one of its meetings as the Chairman,

Jt. Secretary of the meeting implored

on the representing associations.

The white paper has already been

uploaded in ITMA’s website (www.

itma.org.in) where it has been dealt

with at length.

What has been the success rate

with respect to Bureau of Energy

Efficiency (BEE) rating for

distribution transformers?

BEE’s notification dated 2010 is

mandatory in its Standard and

Labeling Programme to produce

and use star-rated (1 to 5) energy

efficient distribution transformers

(DTs) in the power sector. However it

was incumbent upon stakeholders to

use minimum 3-star rated DTs under

CEA’s notification of 2010. Being

under mandatory certification, it is

followed and even used today.

It may be noted that quality of

product is a big concern even at the

highest level of Hon’ble PM who had

declared a slogan “Zero Defect, Zero

Effect” and implored on industries

not to compromise on quality on

products and environment.

Even Department of Heavy

ITMA, with a standing of over 60 years, has

the transformer and

ITMA has stood for the

B. Lal, in this

Imports of inferior

CRGO must stop— B. Lal,

FOCUS: TRANSFORMERS

Last date for booking: January 5, 2017

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INTERVIEW


INTERVIEW

Industries issued a quality control

order on electrical transformers on

May 7, 2015 effective from February

1, 2016 to ensure the quality of energy

efficient distribution transformers

as per IS:1180 Part 1/2014 and it

became mandatory for manufacture/

purchase and use only BIS certified/

marked transformer. Compliance of

this order has also been enforced.

Now there is a conflict:

manufactures are requesting

government of India to allow them

the compliance of one of the two

directives—BIS or BEE—as they

both are addressing the same goal of

producing energy efficient DTs. But

the power ministry has shown its

helplessness as both certifications

are mandatory through Gazette

notification. This is undesirable

as manufacturer has to observe

and complete all the formalities/

requirements of both the agencies.

This not only creates hindrance in

conducting the business but also

involves lot of time and expenditure

of yearly renewal of licence and

hefty BEE’s labeling/BIS marking

fees of each types of unit produced.

ITMA has requested to PMO to

intervene in this dual compliance

vide its letter dated October 13,

2016.

What is your view on the L1

procurement policy that appears

to the primary reason for inferior

distribution transformers being

inducted in India’s power grid?

As far as the matter of transformer

procurement policy of L1 it pointed

out that normally the purchaser of

transformers, utilities/discoms place

the contracts on the lowest offer

criteria (L1) which infuse the use of

non-prime/seconds/used material

in manufacturing of transformers.

It is observed that with this L1

philosophy, orders are placed even at

the prices that do not even cover the

material cost of the transformer. It is

proposed that realistic cost level of

each category of transformer should

be worked out with the realistic price

of the prime material by the special

cell of the purchaser and the orders

should not be placed below the

realistic price fixed for each category

coupled with the stringent checking

by the purchaser/utilities/discoms

at each stage of manufacturing of

transformers.

Some large Chinese manufacturers

are setting up shop in India for

transformers? What could be

the possible impact on Indian

manufacturers?

The main reason of new entrants from

abroad in the Indian market is either

due to economic slowdown in their

markets or surplus manufacturing

capacity.

These companies have made

their own calculations to enter

Indian market due to envisaged

development of massive T&D

infrastructure. As a matter of fact

there will be no substantial impact of

these outsiders but it would instead

generate healthy competition for

producing quality higher voltage

class transformers.

What is your view on the apparent

lack of testing facilities in India,

especially for high-voltage

transformers?

The current position of testing

of both distribution & power

transformers is not very satisfactory.

DTs are only tested at CPRI Bhopal

and ERDA, Vadodara as both are

recognized by BIS. Recently NTH

at Ghaziabad is in the process of

being recognized by BIS. ITMA

has requested the government of

India and Director General of NTH

Kolkata to establish test houses

in all states as DT manufacturers

have to get the transformer tested

by hauling long distances which in

fact add to the cost and involve lot of

time for supply to the customers.

In so far testing of power

transformers is concerned, CPRI

at Bangalore is carrying out

testing up to 100 MVA units of

220kV voltage class but it lacks

recognition in some parts of world.

ITMA has requested CPRI to add

all facilities and get itself equipped

to attain international recognition.

So far, all large power transformer

manufacturers have to send their

units to KEMA (Netherland),

KERI (Korea) or CESI (Italy). This

involves lot of cost, time and effort.

It is however heartening to note that

the government has established

UHV testing station at Bina

(Madhya Pradesh) in consortium of

big players like BHEL, Crompton,

etc under the patronage of PGCIL

and CPRI. The lab will reportedly

be ready to carry out testing of all

units up to 400kV voltage class from

January 2017 onwards.

What are some of the important

items of ITMA’s agenda for

the overall betterment of the

transformer industry?

Some of the important activities of

ITMA towards the overall interest

and progress of the industry are:

Holding conferences/workshops

with all stakeholders in

various states for awareness of

government’s initiatives on energy

efficient DTs and shall continue

the same in the next calendar year

from 2017 January onwards.

Pursuing with the government

agencies to ensure the

implementation of the quality

control orders on electrical

transformers and CRGO material

so that only BIS-certified material

is used so as to ensure the quality

of transformers.

Pursuing with government of India

to establish test houses in each

state in order to facilitate testing

of distribution transformers.

Conducting international

conferences to enable adoption of

latest global technology.

C

Solving the

CRGO puzzle


old rolled grain oriented

(CRGO) steel is a very

special type of steel that

needs complex technology to

produce. Why CRGO steel or simply

CRGO is important is that it is used

to make laminations that ultimately

find their way into transformers. In

turn, transformers are indispensable

to the power grid and without them,

power transmission and distribution

would be simply impossible. Thanks

to this linkage, CRGO is not only an

important physical material in the

context of India’s power T&D sector,

also has intangible implications—

albeit due to rather undesirable

reasons.

It is worthwhile to know that

the overall failure rate of Indian

distribution transformers is

amongst the highest in the world.

It is embarrassingly shocking to

learn that though a distribution

transformer is expected to last for

20-25 years, in India the average

distribution transformer has a life

of just around five years. Why does

a country that has indigenously

produced the world’s highest-voltage

(1,200kV) transformers have such

a shameful record with distribution

transformers? The answer lies in the

“core material”, CRGO.

To concise the long story, India

has, for very long, been a consumer

of substandard CRGO, thanks to

the proliferation of this practice by

unscrupulous manufacturers. The

use of substandard CRGO or scrap

CRGO means much monetary gain

for transformer manufacturers since

the cost of scrap CRGO is less than

half of that of the prime variety.

Further, CRGO can account for

around 25-30 per cent of the overall

cost of the transformer. Hence,

substituting prime material by its

scrap variant results in significant

saving for the manufacturer but on

the other hand, seriously impinges

upon the efficiency and longevity of

the equipment.

In 2012, the government, with a

LEAD STORY

view to curbing the willful use of scrap

CRGO, mandated that India could

only import CRGO that was certified

by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)

with IS:3024 certification. This

order was originally to take effect

from July 2014 but the date has seen

several subsequent relaxations.

This meant that all foreign mills

desirous of supplying to Indian

transformer manufacturers should

have their products BIS-certified.

When this move was announced,

it met with mixed reactions from

the trade and industry. Why should

a foreign supplier that is already

equipped with internationally-valid

certifications (for instance, IEC)

be interested in complying with

more formalities from India? On

this count, Jitendra U. Mamtora,

Chairman of Transformers &

Rectifiers (India) noted that since

BIS certification was a copy of

IEC standards, the requirement

of separate BIS certification only

added a process and cost. However,

it may be mentioned that at that time

the global transformer market was

depressed and foreign CRGO mills

were straddled with over-capacity.

This perhaps led to foreign suppliers

subscribing to the formality. Over

the years, global manufacturers

got their products certified with

BIS. Today, the compliance with

BIS is nearly complete. According

to B. Lal, Director-General, Indian

Transformer Manufacturers’

Association (ITMA), interacting

with T&D India, all the 16 mills

owned by some 8-9 international

companies have got their products

BIS-certified. These mills are

spread across countries like USA,

UK, Japan, Germany, South Korea,

Poland, Brazil, China, etc. Talking

about volumes, the global CRGO

manufacturing capacity is around

3.5 million tonnes per year. India’s

current annual demand ranges from

2.5 lakh tonnes to 3 lakh tonnes.

Given that India accounts for less

than a tenth of global demand, it is

pleasantly surprising to note that

foreign suppliers have endeavoured

to have their products BIS-certified.

The main question now is: Has the

usage of scrap CRGO reduced in

recent times? Well, the views of

industry players do suggest a state

of ambiguity.

In a telephonic interaction with

T&D India, K.N. Singhal, Managing

Director, Transtron Electricals Pvt

Ltd, said that the extent of usage of

scrap CRGO has definitely reduced.

He estimated that only about 1

per cent scrap CRGO finds its way

into Indian transformers. Singhal

asserted that associations like ITMA

have been appealing to transformer

manufacturers to adhere to BIS-

certified CRGO. While scrap CRGO

usage has been on the decline, it

has not yet been eliminated. The

interesting question is: How is

inferior CRGO finding its way into

the Indian market despite the BIS-

certification guideline?

The modus operandi is to import

used transformers that have scrap

CRGO in their laminations. Such

laminations qualify as “transformer

parts” in imports nomenclature. It is

ironic that because the imports are

happening of “transformer parts,”

the import duty is lower than that on

prime grade CRGO! To the startling

convenience of unscrupulous

manufacturers, scrap CRGO is

entering India and that too at a lower

landed cost. Speaking to T&D India,

Mukesh Jindal, Managing Director

of PP Industries Ltd, a Punjab-

based manufacturer of distribution

transformers, explained that there

exist illicit manufacturing units that

produce transformers equipped

with laminations made out with


Cold rolled grain oriented (CRGO) steel has traditionally been a controversial

and contentious issue in India. The very term “CRGO” when used in the

context of the Indian transformer industry suggests two rather unpleasant

realities – the willful use of inferior CRGO in distribution transformers, and the

country intriguing inability to manufacture this special material locally. In this

special story, Venugopal Pillai takes an inquiring look into the CRGO muddle,

scrap CRGO. Such units are located

in places like Dubai, Sri Lanka,

Thailand and even in some European

countries, explained Jindal.

Expounding on the subject, Saif F.

Qureishi, MD & CEO, KRYFS Power

Components Ltd, shared some stark

details. “Second hand and defective

CRGO users have set up shop in

neighboring countries like Dubai,

Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand. Here,

in trade free zones they import

scrap or defective CRGO and either

process it or send it as it is to India,

falsely declaring it as either “melting

scrap” through Kolkata port, or as

“transformer parts” through Chennai

port or “used transformers” through

SEZs. Both IEEMA and ITMA have

brought this to the notice of the

authorities. However, unfortunately,

the import of these seconds and

defectives and scrap material still goes

on unabated in this country, creating

a disadvantage for those using prime

material while the country is getting

supplied with substandard quality of

transformers.”

Corroborating this view, B. Lal of

ITMA highlighted that apart from the

“transformer parts” route discussed

above, scrap CRGO is entering the

Indian market as generic “steel

scrap,” thereby bypassing the BIS

guideline that specifies CRGO steel.

Such unethical imports of inferior

CRGO are often done in connivance

with customs authorities, felt Lal.

WHY IS SCRAP CRGO SURVIVING?

Power transmission and distribution

infrastructure needs transformers at

several voltage levels. What happens

in a typical power T&D chain is that

voltage at the source (power plant)

is stepped up to say 765kV so that

bulk power transmission can take

place. This is achieved by a step-

up transformer. As the electricity

moves towards the consumer

through the T&D grid, the voltage

is progressively lowered through a

series of step-down transformers.

Those transformers dealing with

lower voltages, typically up to 66kV,

qualify as distribution transformers

and this is where the usage of

inferior CRGO is rampant. The

manufacturing process of power

transformers is very formal in nature,

and is also capital-intensive. There

is absolutely no scope for inferior

APART

LEAD STORY


CRGO entering a power transformer,

even inadvertently. However, when

it comes to distribution transformers

matters are very different. The

manufacture of distribution

transformers is relatively simpler

and this is borne out by the fact that

thousands of marginal manufacturers

of distribution transformers are

today surviving and even thriving.

Industry sources explain that there

are scores of distribution transformer

manufacturers that operate in

shockingly informal conditions—

with no scientific techniques, no

testing facilities and needless to

say, no quality control. It is these

unconscionable manufacturers that

constitute the biggest market for scrap

and substandard CRGO. It is widely

believed that there are manufacturers

that sell distribution transformers at

a price that is lower than the sum of

costs of parts of a standard-quality

transformer. Needless to say, such

transformers fail in a few years

and are responsible for making

the distribution grid inefficient.

Conscientious manufacturers simply

cannot match the price offered by

unscrupulous manufacturers. It is

another matter that the two types of

transformers cannot be compared in

terms of quality.

The main reason why scrap CRGO

cannot be rooted out is because there

is a market for cheap and substandard

transformers. It is ironical to note that

power distribution utilities (discoms),

the legitimate custodians of the

distribution grid, are big consumers

of substandard transformers and,

in the process, of inferior CRGO.

Industry experts believe that discoms

are bound by the L1 criteria in during

their procurement drive. Suppliers

quoting the lowest price of equipment

are unwittingly awarded contracts.

The fact that these suppliers are also

the “lowest” in terms of quality is

legally overlooked as “L1” guidelines

simply do not have any provision for

quality. There is also no provision

to weed out suppliers that quote

unreasonably low prices. “Power

utilities cannot blindly go by the L1

philosophy. They are fully aware of

what quality they can expect from

such L1 equipment,” a transformer

manufacturer said, requesting

anonymity.

There is no foolproof solution to

the use of inferior CRGO. As long

as there is a market for transformers

that use scrap CRGO, the menace of

import of this material will continue.

Industry observers feel that much has

to do with the procurement policies

of power distribution utilities. As

long as “L1” procurement policies

prevail, there will be a market for

cheap CRGO and importers will

find innovative ways and means to

circumvent the legal framework.

CONCLUSION

CRGO has traditionally been a

contentious issue in the Indian

transformer industry. The illegitimate

import of scrap CRGO cannot be

extirpated as there is a section of

transformer manufacturers that will

keep finding loopholes in the legal

framework and “legitimize” such

imports. Making BIS certification

mandatory has been a good step

and it is encouraging to note that

most foreign mills have complied

with the requirement. A wide section

of the industry feels that imports of

scrap CRGO have come down and

transformer manufacturers, at least

the conscientious ones, are insisting

on prime grade CRGO. The use of

scrap CRGO in transformers has

its roots in history. In the 1980s, as

veterans in the industry recall, a severe

balance of payment crisis forced

Indian transformer manufacturers to

resort to scrap CRGO only because it

was cheap. Transformers were also

designed based on such CRGO. Thus,

scrap CRGO took its roots in India.

Some industry players also feel that

not all scrap CRGO is necessarily

inferior. Some refer to CRGO as a

“non-ageing” material that does

not lose its efficacy over time.

However, it is very difficult to know

the quality of CRGO scrap. Hence,

there are cases where transformer

manufacturers inadvertently end up

using inferior CRGO. It is fair to state

that BIS certification was an effective

way to ensure that the CRGO being

used is of prime grade. As of now,

the extent of use of imported scrap

CRGO (despite the mandatory BIS

certification) has come down. One

industry player was confident that

such scrap CRGO could be finding

its way in transformers, others than

those used in the power T&D grid.

In the midst of the CRGO muddle

is India’s longstanding inability to

produce CRGO locally. It is intriguing

to learn that the country has been

trying to produce CRGO for over five

decades now, but local production is

nowhere on the horizon. While one

must admit that CRGO technology

is complex and fiercely guarded by

the small coterie of manufacturers,

the insignificant progress made by

India is quite disappointing and

cannot be condoned. Much of the

imbroglio surrounding CRGO could

be resolved if India could take

meaningful steps forward in its quest

for producing this critical raw material

locally.

Note: Full interviews with ITMA,

Transformers & Rectifiers (India) Ltd

and KRYFS Power Components have

been carried elsewhere

in this edition.



INTERVIEW

It is generally agreed that

substandard CRGO is hurting the

Indian transformer industry. The

government has now mandated

BIS certification for international

CRGO suppliers. How well has this

move worked?

Substandard CRGO was mostly

used in distribution transformers

by some of the manufacturers. In

power transformers it is not easy to

use substandard material. In fact

manufacturers of power transformers

have not benefited from this action

but the costs have gone up. CRGO

is totally imported and having BIS

for it has no justification particularly

when BIS is copy of IEC, in this

case. Unnecessarily, we have added

a process and thus cost.

T&R very recently signed a joint

venture agreement with Jingke of

China. Tell us about this in some

detail.

After completion of the entire range

of transformers and reactors up to and

including 765kV, we were looking

at new areas of business, of course

in the power T&D sector itself. We

found this is the right product line

to get in. We have gone in for a JV

with Jiangsu Jingke Smart Electric

Company Ltd for manufacturing

and marketing of GIS/HGIS/TGIS

systems and products. We have 60

per cent share in JV while Jingke

will hold 40 per cent. Initially all the

components will come from China

and we will do assembly and testing

but gradually the components will

be manufactured by the JV in India.

We expect to achieve sales of Rs.200

crore in next two to three years’

time.

We understand that T&R’s current

order book is nearly Rs.1,000 crore.

Could you give us the breakup of this

order book by type of equipment?

Yes, we have a good healthy order

book of Rs.950 crore. It is a good

mixture of transformers and reactors

up to and including 765kV.

In a span of just over two decades, Gujarat-based Transformers &

has propelled itself in the league of top Indian transformer manufacturingcompanies. In this exclusive exchange, Jitendra Mamtora

gives insights into T&R’s corporate philosophy that has contributed to the company’s success. Whilst discussing general issues in the transformer issues, Mamtora also tells us more T&R’s recent move to diversify into switchgear. An interaction by Venugopal Pillai.

Our aim is to offer good

quality at reasonable cost— Jitendra U. Mamtora, Chairman & Whole-time Director,

FOCUS: TRANSFORMERS

INTERVIEW


How has been T&R’s market with

respect to 765kV class transformers?

In the same context, how is the

alliance with ZTR progressing?

We have order in hand for 14

transformers of 765kV and have

quoted for quite a few. The business is

good and we are established players

in this class as our transformers have

been operating in the system for nearly

three years now. Our arrangement

with ZTR was for joint bidding against

requirement of customers. There are

no such tenders now and we qualify

on our own. ZTR has some financial

problems at their end but we continue

to enjoy good relationship.

T&R has been amongst few

suppliers for the 1,200kV UHVAC

Bina test line of Power Grid

Corporation of India. Tell us

about your involvement in some

detail. Also, when do you see

India adopting 1,200kV lines on

commercial scale?

We have supplied this transformer

almost three years back. Our unit

along with other suppliers has

been commissioned and operating

properly. PGCIL who will be the

only customer initially, has no

planned tenders for this rating in

the near future. However as and

when they come out with one, we

will automatically be approved and

can compete in all such tenders. But

yes, this (the 1,200kV project) has

given us a lot of confidence.

Tell us about T&R’s ultra-modern

Moraiya plant. Currently, at what

capacity-utilisation (percentage) is

the plant operating? Do you have

any capacity expansion plans?

The plant is well established and

fairly well loaded. We have good

mixture of 765kV and 400kV

transformers and reactors. It is

healthy mix that helps the best

utilization of any plant. Presently, it

is working on 75 per cent capacity.

We have no immediate plan to

expand the Moraiya unit.

In general, what is your view on

India’s self-sufficiency with regard

to testing of extra high-voltage

equipment?

PGCIL, NTPC and NHPC are jointly

putting up a short-circuit lab near

Jhansi. I understand this lab is

getting ready soon. There have been

some delays but that is normal for a

project of such magnitude. This will

definitely help both manufacturers

and buyers; presently the equipment

has to be sent to KEMA for testing.

There may be some teething

problems initially but in the long

term it will be good.

T&R has begun supplying

transformers to solar power plants.

What is your outlook on this product

line, given the country’s ambitions

of 100 GW of solar capacity by

2022?

Yes, we have also been supplying

transformers for the solar power

plants and it is an ongoing business.

The revised renewable energy target

of the government of India GOI is

175 GW. We are getting our share

but are definitely trying to increase

the same. Some good orders are in

the pipeline.

We understand that T&R was

actively planning to tap the

European market. What is the

current status?

Tapping new business is ongoing

process for any manufacturer. We

have been focusing on European

market for special duty industrial

transformers and have achieved

some success. Once these

transformers are supplied and put

into operation, customers will get

more confidence in our product. It is

a tough and cautious market.

In a relatively short period of just

over 20 years, T&R has grown

impressively into the league of

top transformer manufacturers in

India. What are the core values that

T&R has stood for and how do you

see the road ahead?

We are now at par with any other

power transformer manufacturer as

far as the range is concerned. We

have always followed the principle

of good quality at reasonable cost

to the customer. This philosophy

has paid off. Our transformers are

considered at par with all major

manufacturers. We will not deviate

from our core values but will try to be

more aggressive now. Our objective

is to be preferred source of supply to

any customer.

TRANSFORMERS & RECTIFIERS (INDIA) LTD


INTERVIEW

Please explain in simple terms how

CRGO steel ultimately finds its way

in transformers.

A transformer works on the principle

of mutual inductance between

two independent circuits linked

by a common magnetic flux. The

common magnetic flux is created by

the core of the transformer which is

made of cold rolled grain oriented

steel or CRGO which is a very

special kind of steel, with around

3.2 per cent of silicon content and

where 97 per cent of the “grains”

in the steel oriented (made facing)

in the direction of rolling. CRGO is

used in transformers because of its

low-loss characteristic, which means

that it generates less heat when

magnetized, thereby increasing the

efficiency of the transformer.

CRGO steel comes in coils which

have to be slit and cut to size to

produce laminations of different

shapes and sizes. These laminations

are then bunched together to form

a core. In simple terms, it is quite

analogous to how notebooks are

manufactured. A large roll of paper

is taken and slit and then stacked

together to make a notebook. A

transformer core is very much like

that except that instead of paper, you

use CRGO steel.

To what extent does the efficiency

of the transformer depend on the

quality of CRGO used?

There are two kinds of losses in a

transformer: load losses and no-load

losses. Load losses, are due to copper

and come into play only when there

is load on the transformer. On the

other hand, no-load losses are due

to CRGO core and are continuously

present, irrespective of whether

there is a load or not. Both losses

together comprise the total losses of

a transformer.

Therefore the efficiency of a

transformer is directly related to

the no-load losses (also known

as core losses) of the transformer.

The better the quality and grade of

CRGO, the lower are the no-load

losses and the better is the efficiency

of the transformer. If second hand

or bad quality of CRGO is used in

the transformer, the transformer

will be inefficient and the life of

the transformer will be adversely

impacted.

KRYFS Power Components is renowned supplier of transformer laminations.

company to have

from PGCIL for 765kV power transformer laminations. In this exclusive exchange, Saif F. Qureishi gives crucial insights on everything one needs to know about CRGO—right from how it is used in transformers and why it is inextricably linked to the transformer industry. Qureishi is appreciative of the BIS

strongly feels that India must move towards self-reliance in this critical raw material. An interaction by Venugopal Pillai.

It is time India becomes

self-reliant in CRGO— Saif F. Qureishi, CEO & MD,KRYFS Power Components Ltd.

FOCUS: TRANSFORMERS

INTERVIEW


After the government mandated

foreign CRGO suppliers to have

their products BIS-certified, and

knowing that most mills have

already done so, do you think that

the extent of scrap/inferior CRGO

entering India has reduced?

Yes, the extent of scrap and inferior

CRGO has reduced but it is still being

imported through Kolkata, Chennai

and other inland container yards

in Punjab and NCR in collusion

between some unscrupulous

importers and customs officers. Due

to this reason, used, seconds and

defective CRGO is still available

and is being used in transformers by

many transformer manufacturers.

This leads to poor quality of

transformers being supplied in the

country.

It is learnt that some overseas are

manufacturing transformers using

scrap CRGO and this scrap is

entering India as the imports qualify

as “transformer parts” or “used

transformers”. What is your view?

Your information is absolutely

correct. Second hand and defective

CRGO users have set up shop in

neighboring countries like Dubai,

Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand.

Here, in trade free zones, they

import scrap or defective CRGO and

either process it or send it as it is to

India, falsely declaring it as either

“ melting scrap” through Kolkata

port, or as “transformer parts”

through Chennai port or “used

transformers” through SEZs. Both

IEEMA and ITMA have brought

this to the notice of the authorities,

however unfortunately the import

of these seconds and defectives

and scrap material still goes on

unabated in this country, creating a

disadvantage for those using prime

material while the country getting

supplied with sub-standard quality

of transformers.

At KRYFS how do you ensure that

the CRGO that you are using is of

prime grade?

At KRYFS, we buy directly from

the mills or their exclusive agents

if the mill does not supply directly

to India. We buy only prime BIS-

certified material and therefore the

quality of the products from our

factory is always assured. This is

the reason that we were the first

company in India to be certified by

Power Grid Corporation of India

for the prestigious 765KV class

transformer laminations. We have

won several awards for export

excellence as well as innovation.

We are the only company that has

a strategic investment from Toyota

Tsusho Corporation, Japan, a Toyota

group company that has a 20 per

cent strategic stake in KRYFS.

Has the BIS certification simplified

matters?

BIS has definitely standardized the

nomenclature of the CRGO material

being imported from different

mills, and also standardized the

losses across various grades being

supplied by different mills. We find

BIS implementation a move in the

right direction which was required

to have uniformity and quality in the

material being used in transformers

in India.

India has not been able to produce

CRGO locally despite “trying”

for several decades. What is your

reading of the situation?

CRGO is produced by only 7 or 8

countries around the world and it is

said that the production of CRGO is

more an art than a science. It is a

closely-guarded secret.

India has tried: first through

SAIL, then Raymond Steel, and

finally ThyssenKrupp but has not

succeeded in large scale production

of CRGO. The quantity of CRGO

being imported in India is more

than 3 lakh tonnes per year and it

is time that the country develops its

own production to be independent

of other countries producing this

material.

Without CRGO, transformers

cannot be built and without

transformers, electricity can neither

be transmitted nor distributed.

Besides, there is no other use

of CRGO besides transformers.

Therefore CRGO and transformers

share a symbiotic relationship. Thus

CRGO is integral part of India’s

plans to provide 24x7 electricity for

all and so it is imperative that we

become self reliant in this important

raw material.

KRYFS POWER COMPONENTS LTD


EXPERT VIEW

What are the challenges in terms of

design and manufacture of 1,200kV

power transformers?

Design of 1,200kV power

transformers encompasses huge

challenges with respect to dielectric,

electromagnetic, thermal and short

circuit conditions to assess or size

the influence of active part.

Dielectric design mainly consists

of insulation design which is main

criteria from the point of view

of oil subdivided geometry. The

main challenge is taking out of

1,200kV lead exits by providing

suitable moulded components.

Advanced knowledge is desired

in magnetic field distribution for

electro-magnetic field analysis (i.e.

penetration of flux with metallic

parts such as clamping structure

and tank, which can be controlled

with clamp shields, tank shields

etc,) to estimate the stray losses of

live parts as well as the earth-parts.

Thermal design includes design of

cooling system and estimation of hot

spot. The velocity of oil entry into the

active part needs to be designed so

that electrostatic surface discharges

by streaming electrification do not

occur in the path of oil flow within

the insulation and windings. So, the

sizing of cooling pumps and oil path

in the active part poses a challenge

in design.

Design of short circuit withstand

forces can be addressed using special

enamelled conductors with low chip

epoxy bonding, proper radial and

axial supports in winding and using

of rigid clamping structure.

When it comes to manufacturing

of UHV transformers, each process

(core assembly, winding assembly,

active part assembly, final assembly,

etc) requires clean and controlled

atmosphere. During manufacturing

Part of the Toshiba Group, Toshiba Transmission & Distribution India Pvt Ltd (TTDI) was formed in late 2013 when Toshiba acquired controlling stake in Vijai Electricals Ltd—a Hyderabad-based company that was amongst the few suppliers of 1,200kV transformers to the Bina UHVAC test transmission line. In this exchange, we have Dr Katsutoshi Toda

giving insights into the design and manufacture of 1,200kV power transformers, whilst discussing important issues in the 1,200kV (UHVAC) power transmission regime.

Designing 1,200kV transformers

can pose huge challenges— Dr Katsutoshi Toda,

Chairman & Managing Director, Toshiba Transmission & Distribution India Pvt Ltd

FOCUS: TRANSFORMERS

Inside view of TTDI’s Hyderabad manufacturing facility

EXPERT VIEW


stage, it has to be ensured

that all sharp edges are

adequately shielded including

the hardware. These points

are prone to insulation to

initiate partial discharge in the

transformer.

Maintaining of moisture free

insulation in UHV transformers

will be a major challenge

during vapour drying process.

Very fine NAS level of oil

filtration is required to remove

suspended particles which

if unremoved shall become a

potential for charging tendency so

by initiating partial discharge.

When it comes to testing of extra

high-voltage equipment, India

does not have sufficient facilities.

What would be the role of overseas

testing labs?

Today selected manufacturing

industries in India are already

geared up for doing all dielectric

and thermal testing of 1,200kV.

With National High Power Test

Laboratory (NHPTL) coming up

at Bina in Madhya Pradesh, it

would be great source of support

to industry for performing testing,

which are not available in the other

manufacturing industries. So the

role of KEMA, CESI shall be limited

with the upcoming of National Test

facility within India.

Apart from transformers, what

other critical equipment would

be required for 1,200kV power

transmission?

UHV reliable circuit breakers, UHV

surge arrestor and its housing, UHV

instrument transformers (capacitor

voltage transformers or CVTs) and

current transformers (CTs)), UHV

insulators (line insulator strings,

polymeric long rod insulators and

substation insulators), bundle

conductors, hardware, clamps and

connections, tower structure and

UHVAC transmission line would

be required for operating of the

substation.

Installation of transmission line

towers should ensure robust and

high quality levels in challenging

topographical conditions.

What are the challenges in setting

up of 1,200kV power transmission

infrastructure on the commercial

scale?

The main challenges are:

Transmission line by right of way

as it needs greater amount of

clearance.

The extent of effect of 1,200kV

transmission line is under study

on environment at experiment test

lab at Bina and recommendations

coming out of this study shall

need to be considered particularly

during the positioning of the

transmission line.

Transportation of these large

jobs on the road to the various

destinations shall be very

challenging as all routes and

bridges are not sustainable to such

heavy weight. Reinforcement

and strengthening of roads and

bridges shall be an issue that

shall be needed to be taken up

with ministry of road transport

and highways.

Sustainability and dimensioning

of tower for 1,200kV shall need to

be studied especially for

difficult terrain areas, looking at

the effect of wind, snow deposit,

etc.

Trained man power, technique,

infrastructure required for

erection & commissioning of such

high voltages shall also need to

be addressed.

The components desired

for this kind of equipments are

mostly imported and hence

developing vendors in India to

supply the desired quality will

be an additional challenge.

Government should look into

indigenisation of components

by supporting national

suppliers and minimize the

import of components from

foreign countries.

What has been the role so

far of Toshiba T&D India in the

1,200kV test line at Bina?

TTDI has taken the first initiative

to complete the design and

development of 1,200kV transformer

on priority. The transformer

supplied by TTDI was connected

to 1,200kV first batch test line

and successfully commissioned in

May 2012. The performance of the

transformer so far is satisfactory

and is being monitored closely.

How does Toshiba T&D India view

the market for 1,200kV equipment

and how is it preparing itself for

the upcoming demand?

In addition to the existing 765kV

transmission network in India, it is

foreseen that due to large rating of

power plants (hydro, thermal and

nuclear) long transmission lines for

upgrade of grid may be required.

Considering the requirement

of heavy evacuation of power in

near future, there is much scope

for 1,200kV equipment. A 1,200kV

interconnecting transmission

scheme between Raigarh-Raipur

and Raipur–Wardha–Aurangabad is

being planned to commercialize in

the XIV Plan period.

TTDI has established

manufacturing hub in India. In

UHV, TTDI has invested Rs.1

billion towards new winding

shop assembly with controlled

atmosphere in the areas of core

building, winding assembly, active

part assembly and testing facilities

in line with the future market of

UHV in India.

TOSHIBA TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION INDIA PVT LTD

An overview of the Bina UHVAC test station


INSIGHT

32

t is a basic principle of

electromagnetic induction that

an electric current flows in a

closed coil placed within a varying

magnetic field. This current produces

a secondary magnetic field in its

own turn. The two magnetic fields

repel each other and consequently

the conductors in the coil experience

a force that is proportional to the

product of the two field strengths.

In a transformer, the principal

magnetic field is itself set up by

the flow of current in the primary

coil. The secondary current, and

therefore the secondary magnetic

field, is proportional to the primary

current. Therefore the forces

mutually experienced by the coils

are proportional to the square of

either current. This means that

under short-circuit conditions, the

forces experienced by the windings

are two orders of magnitude higher

than at rated currents.

In core type transformers, these

forces act radially, tending to

compress a coil and reduce its axial

length. In shell type constructions

the forces act at a perpendicular to

the coil surface and tend to reduce

its radial width.

FAILURE MODES

If a power transformer is not

designed and built properly, external

short-circuits can cause significant

weakening of its active parts, thus

reducing its reliability, even if there

is no immediate internal breakdown.

Conductors can displace and stretch,

coils can distort, bulge, buckle,

telescope, tilt or rupture leading to

broken insulation and thus to inter-

turn short-circuits. Mechanical

failures of the insulation can occur

due to motion between conductors

and spacers. Winding end supports

can collapse.

DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING PRACTICE

Of the many elements that go

into the design and manufacture

of power transformers in order to

improve their short-circuit withstand

capabilities, the choice of conductor

material is the most important, as its

mechanical properties, such as yield

strength and modulus of elasticity,

are critical to performance.

For this reason, good design

practices, such as those of ABB,

use copper with a minimum yield

strength of 90 N/mm2 at 0.2% offset

(in other words it would require a

stress greater than 90 N/mm2 to

cause a permanent strain of 0.2%).

This figure goes as high as 280 N/

mm2 and beyond for heavy-duty

transformers with frequent short-

circuits such as those used for

arc furnaces. The use of the right

grade of copper is considered by

good designers as the best way of

ensuring high short-circuit withstand

capability in power transformers.

IMPROVING TRANSFORMER ENERGY

PERFORMANCE

Higher copper content in

transformers improves energy

performance and consequently

lowers lifecycle costs in most cases.

The various costs incurred during

the long life of a transformer can be

broadly categorized into purchase,

operating and end-of-life costs.

Of these, the operating costs –

principally comprising the cost of

energy losses in the transformer

– are dominant. Therefore the

astute purchaser will give a high

weightage to the transformer’s

energy performance in his decisions

and will not base these on direct

costs alone.

Transformer designers have a mix

of options available for improving

energy performance – principally

the use of larger core and conductor

cross-sections, or a lower loss core

material, or a better conductor, i.e.

copper. The optimization of this

mix is done on an ongoing basis

by designers and manufacturers,

based on relative material costs

at the given time and the specific

conditions of procurement on energy

performance. This is the reason for

the variety of transformer designs

seen in the market.

REFERENCES

1.Short Circuit Duty of Power

Transformers: GiorgoBertagnolli

2.State of the Art on the Use

of Copper and Aluminium

Conductors in Distribution

Transformers Manufacturing: R.

Salustiano & M. L. B. Martínez

Federal University of Itajubá– Lat-

Efei.

[Manas Kundu is Director,

Energy Solutions at International

Copper Association, India.]

Copper: Material of choice for power transformer conductors

I If a power transformer is not designed and built properly, external short-circuits can

its active parts, thus reducing its reliability, even if there is no

FOCUS: TRANSFORMERS

MANAS KUNDU

T&D India December 2016 34

India urgently needs short-circuit testing

facilities for high-voltage transformers

In this brief interaction with T&D India, Dr. M.K. Shah gives a quick overview on the testing

facilities available with ERDA when it comes to high voltage transformers. India’s power

transmission is moving to the EHV regime with wide deployment of even 765kV equipment.

Currently, India has short-circuit testing facilities for power transformers up to 220kV only.

This is proving debilitating as it means incurring heavy expenses in availing testing facilities

overseas, notes Dr. Shah.

— Dr. M.K. Shah, Director, ERDA

Currently, what types of testing

facilities are available with

ERDA when it comes to HV/EHV

transformers?

ERDA has high voltage impulse

testing facilities for up to 400kV

transformers at both its Makarpura

and Savli laboratories at Vadodara.

However, short-circuit testing of

transformers are limited up to

4MVA, 33kV transformers at its

Savli laboratory at Vadodara. Apart

from these ERDA has transformer oil

testing, insulating material testing,

CRGO testing facilities up to any

voltage level. ERDA Vadodara and

Rabale (Navi Mumbai) laboratories

are BIS-certified for mandatory type

testing of distribution transformers

as per IS: 1180-2014

What new capabilities are being

planned at ERDA labs for testing of

HV/EHV transformers?

ERDA is planning to set up a

Centre of Excellence for R&D in

medium voltage switchgear and

transformer at its Makarpura,

Vadodara Laboratory complex.

This facility will allow short-

circuit testing of medium voltage

switchgear up to 36kV, 31.5kA and

transformers up to 132kV, 50 MVA

in first phase. It is expected that the

project will be initiated in the next

financial year (2017-18) and it will

take approximately three years to

complete.

To what extent are Indian

transformer manufacturers

dependent on the services of

foreign labs—KEMA and CESI—

for instance for testing of HV/EHV

transformers?

Currently in India, short-circuit

testing facility of power transformers

is limited to 220kV, 160MVA. This

facility is not sufficient to meet

the testing requirement of Indian

manufacturers and utilities. PGCIL

and NTPC insist on short-circuit test

report of power transformers even

up to 400kV. This testing facility is

presently not available in India and

Indian manufacturers have to bear

lot of expenses and time to get such

transformers tested at KEMA in

Netherlands or CESI in Italy.

As per a market survey conducted

by ERDA, Indian manufacturers spent

Rs.30 crore each year type testing

of electrical equipment abroad.

However, National High Power Test

Laboratory at Bina is setting up High

Voltage Transformer Testing (HVTR)

Lab to test large power transformers

of 132kV, 220kV, 400kV and 765kV

class and another medium voltage

transformer testing (MVTR Lab) lab

to test the transformers of 11kV to 66

kV class. Phase-I is expected to be

commissioned shortly.

How important would be

adequate testing infrastructure

for transformers in view of India’s

“Power for All” agenda?

CEA had recommended short circuit

testing of transformers mandatory

vide its regulations 2010 to ensure

reliable power supply in the country.

But this regulation could not be

implemented due to limitation of

short-circuit testing facilities in

India. Hence it is imperative to

set up another short circuit testing

facility for transformers in India to

ensure Government of India’s target

to provide “Reliable 24x7 Power for

All” by 2019. ERDA is committed to

provide additional transformer short

circuit testing facility to Indian

manufacturers and utilities. n

Q+AFOCUS: TRANSFORMERS

ERDA has estimated that Indian transformer manufacturers spend around Rs.30 crore per

year in testing their high-voltage transformers at foreign laboratories.

Onsite testing of power transformers by ERDA

GLOBAL SNIPPETS

Siemens and the New York startup LO3 Energy

are collaborating in the field of innovative

microgrids. The goal of the collaboration

is to jointly develop microgrids that enable

local energy trading based on blockchain

technology. Siemens is involving its next47

unit, which was established in October 2016

as part of an ecosystem for partnerships with

startups to take a leading role in the evolving

decentralized energy system market. As a

startup, LO3 Energy is currently supported by

Siemens Digital Grid and next47, in developing

a solution for a blockchain-based microgrid in

the New York borough of Brooklyn – the first

of its kind in the world and a starting point for

developing other joint microgrid projects in US

and other countries. Blockchain technology is

an innovative method of storing and validating

data that permits direct transactions between

energy producers and consumers. Transactions

are trackable and tamper-proof on distributed

systems without the need for centralized

monitoring, a release from Siemens said.

Prysmian Group has announced that it has

won a bankruptcy auction for certain assets

of a HV cables factory in China previously

operated by Shen Huan Cable Technologies

for total consideration of around 305 million

RMB (around 42 million euros), plus taxes in

the region of 4 million euros. This acquisition

will be carried out by Prysmian Technology

Jiangsu Co Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary

of the Group’s holding company in China,

Prysmian China Investment Co. Ltd. Once the

acquisition is completed, Prysmian Technology

Jiangsu will be able to count on manufacturing

and logistics facilities consisting of an area of

more than 190,000 sqm and five production

lines, with a production capacity of over 20,000

tonnes per year, a Prysmian release said.

The business formerly known as Emerson

Network Power has announced the

appointment of Rob Johnson as CEO

and officially commenced a campaign to

rebrand the standalone company as Vertiv.

Vertiv is a global provider of mission-critical

infrastructure technologies for vital applications

in data centers, communication networks, and

commercial and industrial environments. The

company, which is headquartered in Columbus,

Ohio (USA), has more than 20,000 employees

and more than 25 manufacturing and assembly

facilities worldwide. Platinum Equity acquired

the business from Emerson in a transaction

valued in excess of $4 billion.

Amprion and Elia have signed up with the

winning contractor Siemens who will deliver

the two HVDC converter stations for the first

electricity interconnector between Germany

and Belgium. The order volume for Siemens

including a five-year maintenance agreement

amounts to 273 million euros. The German

transmission system operator Amprion and the

Belgian counterpart Elia join forces to deliver

the Aachen Liège Electricity Grid Overlay

(ALEGrO) that will connect the Belgian and

German HV electricity systems using a 90-km

underground cable.

DeepOcean 1 UK Ltd, a subsidiary of

DeepOcean Group Holding BV, has announced

the award of cable installation and trenching

work for DONG Energy’s Hornsea Project One

offshore wind farm. DeepOcean’s scope is the

installation and trenching of 93 array cables.



NEW LAUNCHES

Pharox Streak Pro BattenNTL Lemnis has launched an inno-

vative product “Pharox Streak Pro

Batten”, an ideal replacement for

conventional tube light with an in-

tegrated driver. Its unique and slim

design provides hassle free instal-

lation process, a product note from

NTL Lemnis said. Pharox Streak

Pro Batten is a powerful tube light

with aesthetically pleasing design,

which is maintenance free and eco-

friendly. The tube light is backed by

the reliable and eco-friendly LED

technology and is a perfect solu-

tion for different installations like

residential, indoor, commercial and

production plants. Pharox Streak

Pro Batten stands out from its

cotemporaries because of its unique

features, the release added.

Prototyping boards from

MicrochipTwo new low-cost rapid prototyp-

ing boards for 32-bit applications

are now available from Microchip

Technology Inc., a leading provider

of microcontroller, mixed-signal,

analog and Flash-IP solutions. The

PIC32MX and PIC32MZ Curios-

ity Boards include an integrated

programmer debugger and are

fully incorporated into Microchip’s

MPLAB X integrated development

environment (IDE).

The boards are designed for de-

veloping 32-bit applications and

feature a wide range of peripherals

as well as user interface and expan-

sion options including two mikro-

BUS™ click interface headers to

support over 180 MikroElectronika

Click Boards™. Both boards offer

a rich feature set at an affordable

price and are designed to be con-

nected and used right out-of-the

box, a release from Microchip said.

Automation cables from NexansNexans has launched the new MO-

TIONLINE® HALEX cable series,

a range of halogen-free flexible au-

tomation cables for industrial appli-

cations. In the past, operators who

needed halogen-free (PVC-free) ca-

bles could only choose PUR cables,

which offer outstanding mechanical

performance but are significantly

more expensive than PVC-sheathed

cables. Nexans is now offering an

alternative that not only is flexible,

robust, drag-chain-capable and

flame-retardant, but also entails

low additional costs compared with

PVC cables. Nexans’ HALEX cables

do not contain halogens and, like

PUR cables, are flame-retardant. In

contrast to PVC, they do not release

any highly toxic or irritant gases in

the event of a fire. The sheath per-

mits small bending radii (at least 2

million cycles at 10xD) and is re-

sistant to abrasion, oil and cooling

lubricants, a release from Nexans

said.

Siemens 800A switch disconnectorWith its 3KF product range, Sie-

mens has developed new switch

disconnectors with fuses for cur-

rents up to 800A. Together with the

switch disconnectors from the 3KD

series that are capable of switching

currents up to 1600 A, Siemens now

covers virtually the entire product

spectrum for low-voltage power dis-

tribution with its Sentron portfolio.

The modular compact devices are

suitable both for AC applications

such as industrial plants, buildings

and wind power, as well as for DC

environments. Switch disconnectors

safely protect users against electri-

cal accidents during maintenance

and installation work in switchgear

cubicles. If necessary, padlocks

can be used to lock the front panel

or side panel mounted operating

mechanisms. These prevent unau-

thorized switching and provide ad-

ditional protection. Siemens offers

the switches in five sizes, which are

all available in three- and four-pole

versions. They conform to standard

IEC 60947-3 for low-voltage switch-

gear and the equipment-specific EC

directives for product safety.

Prototyping boards from

Automation cables from

Siemens 800A switch


POWER EQUIPMENT

eyveli Uttar Pradesh Power Ltd (NUPPL), a

51:49 joint venture between NLC India Ltd

(formerly Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd) and

state power utility Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan

Nigam (UPRVUNL) has placed major orders worth nearly

Rs.9,000 crore for its upcoming Ghatampur power project

in Uttar Pradesh. Coming up in Ghatampur in Kanpur

Nagar district, the power plant will be equipped with

three supercritical coal-fired power generation units of

660-mw each. The power plant will come up on 828 ha of

land, all of which is under NUPPL’s possession.

The order for boilers (steam generators) and auxiliaries

has gone to L&T-MHPS Boilers Pvt Ltd, a joint venture

between L&T India and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems

of Japan. The order (package GA1) is valued at Rs.3,850

crore. Another Rs.2,302-crore order (package GA2) for

turbine-generators and parts has been awarded to Alstom

Bharat Forge Power Pvt Ltd. The balance-of-plant works

have been contracted to Chennai-headquartered BGR

Energy Systems Ltd. This contract (termed as package

GA3) is valued at Rs.2,789 crore. It is learnt that one more

package (GA4) for flue-gas desulphurization is pending

award.

The Ghatampur project represents NLC’s

diversification into coal-based power generation. The

first unit of the project is scheduled to commission by

around March 2021, while the entire power project will

be operational by March 2022.

For fuel supplies, the coal ministry had allocated the

Pachwara South Coal block in Jharkhand to NUPPL.

However, due to law and order problems, mining

activities could not be undertaken and it is now learnt

that NUPPL has entered into an agreement with MSTC

Ltd to import coal for the project.

In an independent development, Alstom Bharat Forge

Power Pvt Ltd, the TG-set supplier to the Ghatampur

power project, might soon lose its joint venture status.

Bharat Forge, the 49 per cent stakeholder in the JV, has

planned to divest its entire stake for a consideration

of $35 million (around Rs.230 crore) to GE Pacific

Pvt Ltd. Alstom, it may be recalled, has already been

acquired by GE. The JV was formed in 2009 and it has

its manufacturing facility at Sanand in Gujarat. Bharat

Forge has so far made an investment of Rs.170 in the

JV and the move to sell its stake is aimed at paring its

outstanding debt.

NLC in Rajasthan: In a related development, Reliance

Infrastructure Ltd’s (RInfra) EPC Division has won an

EPC order for Rs.3,675 crore (Rs.2,302 crore plus $205

million) from NLC India Ltd for setting up two lignite-

based CFBC (circulating fluidized bed combustion)

thermal power projects of capacity 250-mw each, in

Barsingsar and Bithnok of Bikaner district in Rajasthan.

The contract entails complete EPC on turnkey basis of

two 250-mw power plant based on CFBC technology.

The project is to be commissioned in 40 months, and

will include boiler, turbine & generator and balance of

plant. RInfra won the bid amidst stiff competition against

leading EPC players. In a communication to stock

exchanges, Reliance Infrastructure said that contenders

in the fray included BHEL, Lanco, SEPCO-I, SEPCO-III

and BGR Energy.

NMajor orders for Ghatampur power plant placed

File photo showing groundbreaking ceremony of Ghatampur power project that took place on October 20, 2016.


S E T R U MPS C


ADVERTISE IN

Your cost-effective tool to reach out to

power T&D stakeholders.

Contact: Hemant Kumar

T:+91(22)62216615


S E C T R U MPS

S E T R U MPS C


S E T R U MPS C


ADVERTISE IN

Your cost-effective tool to reach out to

power T&D stakeholders.

Contact: Hemant Kumar

T:+91(22)62216615


S E C T R U MPS

S E T R U MPS C


General Electric Company (GE) – the sole licensor for Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd’s supercritical technology – has been awarded a con-tract worth Rs.270 crore to supply two 800-mw supercritical boilers (steam generators) for the Telangana supercritical power project. The two boilers are expected to be commissioned by 2020. Located in Karimnagar district of Telangana, the power project is owned by Telangana State Power Generation Company Ltd (TSGENCO). This power utility, in June 2015, had named BHEL as the EPC contractor for the 5x800-mw power plant, with an estimated contract value of

be noted that out of the total order value of Rs.270 crore, placed on

be around Rs.180 crore. Under the overall contract, GE will design

commissioning of the boilers. Key components of the pressure parts

West Bengal.

The transmission & distribution business of has reported the winning of Rs.723 crore worth of overseas orders includ-ing a 275kV transmission line in Malaysia (valued at Rs.429 crore) and a turnkey order for a 500kV overhead line in Egypt (Rs.248 crore.) Besides, the cables business has landed supply orders to the

Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltdvalue to supply industrial motors destined to Togo and Benin – two

-plied by BHEL’s Bhopal unit in Madhya Pradesh.

has announced the winning of a 40-mw wind power project

113m rotor diameter 2-mw turbines at a site in Gujarat. The contract also involves long-term operations and maintenance.

has won an order valued at Rs.96

and 19 power transformers up to 110kV class that will be deployed

taken T&R’s outstanding order book position (as of November 23, 2016) to Rs.980 crore, the company said.

-

single management. The company moves more than 12,500 trains

-formers for the 800 locomotives. Traction transformers feed power at safe voltages to essential train functions like traction, brakes, lighting, heating and ventilation, as well as passenger information, signaling and communication, the release said.

has announced the landing of an order for a 50.40-mw wind power project from an unnamed business house. The project consists of 24 units of S95 90m tubular tower with rated capac-

the project is scheduled for completion in March 2017. This order win takes the total current year order portfolio with the said business

ReNew Power has placed a 50-mw turnkey project order on Gamesa,-

tract, Gamesa will supply 25 units of G114 – 2.0mw T106 turbines -

ect, Gamesa will handle the entire infrastructure needed to install and operate the facility, the company said in a release.

Paradip Port Trust has placed an EPC contract on Surana Solar Ltd (formerly Surana Ventures Ltd) for design, engineering, procurement, supply, construction and erection, testing, commissioning and asso-ciated transmission works for a 10-mw solar power plant at Paradip Port, Odisha. The value of the contract is Rs.60.60 crore, which is

subsequent development, Surana Solar also announced the winning -

ergy Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of Surana Solar, for the supply of 5 mw worth of solar modules.

has announced its maiden order win for 63 mw from

The order comprises installation of 30 units of S97 120m hybrid tow-er with a rated capacity of 2.1 mw each. The project will be located at

be completed by March 2017.

ORDERS & CONTRACTS

Overview of ABB’s Vadodara facility for traction transformers used in metro and railways.

PHOTO NEWS


BB India recently commissioned a hillside 400/220kV substation in the southern Himalaya range of Uttarakhand to evacuate hydroelectric power from the region and

integrate it into the national grid.To meet the rising energy needs of the hilly state, Power Transmission

Corporation of Uttarakhand Ltd (PTCUL) awarded ABB India a contract to construct a transmission substation in Khandukhal, Uttarakhand.

The remote site and hilly terrain required innovative solutions and careful planning to master the challenges of moving heavy equipment and arranging the substation on uneven grounds. The transport to site of equipment such as transformers weighing up to 120 tonnes

reinforcement of roads and the connecting bridge at Khandukhal, a release from ABB India said.

Accommodating the air-insulated switchgear (AIS) substation on

and the lowest points was facilitated by a customized approach to design and structure. The solution included spreading the equipment across 25 tiers with walls up to 12m high and 2m wide to stabilize the tiers of the terraced substation.

As part of the turnkey contract, ABB India designed, supplied, installed and commissioned the 400/220kV substation including switchgear, power transformers as well as a reactor. Reactors are used for reactive power compensation, helping to increase energy

with IEC 61850-compliant automation, protection and communication systems to enable local and remote monitoring and control of all substation assets, the release said.

A

ACHIEVEMENT

Terraced substation in Khandukhal, Uttarakhand

The AIS substation was built across 25 tiers with 34m difference in elevation

The solution included spreading the equipment across 25 tiers with walls up to 12m high and 2m wide

to stabilize the tiers of the terraced substation.

ABB commissions substation in hilly terrain of UttarakhandABB commissions substation

in hilly terrain of Uttarakhand



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