Transmission & distribution

Siemens has acquired C&S Electric’s around 99.22% equity share capital for INR 2,100 crore. The acquisition will allow it to address the rising demand for low-voltage power distribution solutions in India. Apart from gaining easy access to the Indian market, the transaction also aims to create an export hub.

The partnership will lead to enhanced power system modeling backed with rich data-sets to identify interventions for addressing power sector problems like grid instability.

The Indian engineering, procurement and construction contractor has secured orders to build two solar plants of 200 MW each in Gujarat. It has also won significant contracts for power transmission and distribution related work in Rajasthan, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Arabian country Qatar.

A new report highlights key investors finding opportunity in India’s US$500-billion renewable energy infrastructure development and various factors driving these investments. 

The Indian multinational has acquired a 51% stake in Brazilian company Fasttel Engenharia Ltd that specializes in engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of power transmission, substation and distribution services.

The funds will be used to move about 7,200 km of overhead distribution lines underground. Besides, fibre-optical cables will be installed in parallel to the underground distribution cables to strengthen the communication network for smart metering, distribution automation, etc.

Feeder segregation, i.e., the installation of dedicated electricity supply lines for agriculture, is often celebrated as the solution to the electricity utilities’ pain point of free or highly subsidized electricity supply for agriculture. But does it address the root cause of the issue?

An analysis by India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) says improvements in PV panel designs and costs, lower financing costs, and state-specific sectors such as the location’s solar potential and certain waivers have driven the decline in Indian solar tariffs.

A new report looks at the rising dependence of India’s DISCOMs on electricity subsidies, despite concerted bailout efforts by the central government. It assesses various states’ performance in reining in DISCOMs’ financial losses and enhancing their overall efficiency over the last five years. Building on these findings, the study suggests reforms in the distribution and design of subsidies to increase power companies’ revenues as consumption surges.

The intra-state transmission infrastructure is the weakest link in the grid. The introduction of competition from private players can help drive down construction costs and promote timely completion of projects, assisting the absorption of low-cost, domestic renewable energy generation.