WCA November 2013

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India
Wire & Cable ASIA – November/December 2013
“As of now, there is no direct route from Basholi to
Pathankote and the only route available is via the Ranjit
Sagar dam, Riyalta and Lakhanpur area with a route
distance of 72km.
“Once the Ravi Bridge is constructed and operational, the
total route distance will be reduced to 46km. The new
bridge will not only reduce the distance by as much as
26km, but also result in reduction of travel time between the
two places.”
Border Roads Organisation – India
Website:
Cable plant doubles
capacity
The consumer electrical and electronics company V-Guard
has doubled the manufacturing capacity at its cable factory
in Uttarakhand.
The company’s facility in Kashipur currently manufactures
300,000 coils per month. With the expansion, the total
capacity of the plant will increase to 600,000 coils, a
statement said.
“The capacity enhancement is part of the company’s
objective to strengthen its north and east India operations.
Through this, the company will now be able to cater to the
increasing demand for V-Guard cables in these regions,”
said managing director Mithun Chittilappilly. “The copper
processing capacity of the factory will now be 8,500 tonnes
per annum.”
The capacity addition will result in a 100 per cent increase
in revenue for the company from the cable business.
V-Guard – India
Website:
Power Grid with too
much power?
Indian industry body Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has suggested that the
state-run Power Grid Corp should no longer be the central
transmission utility.
Power Grid was conferred with the title of Central
Transmission Utility in 1998, empowering it to undertake
electricity transmission through an inter-state transmission
system, to discharge planning functions, and to provide open
access to the system.
“Currently, Power Grid is [the] tariff collection agency: it
collects tariffs from power generators, state electricity boards
et cetera and, retaining its share, distributes the remaining to
other private licensees.
“This confers additional powers to the company to potentially
arm-twist private players,” FICCI said in a research paper.
The industry body suggested that it would be better if a
neutral entity, such as an independent Central Transmission
Utility, became the tariff collection agency.
At present, transmission projects are offered through the
tendering route and are identified by an Empowered
Committee (EC) consisting of officials from the central
electricity regulatory commission (CERC), central electricity
authority (CEA), NTPC and Power Grid.
“Being part of the EC, Power Grid is likely to be privy to
commercially sensitive information and [the] decision making
process while private players do not even have any
representation,” the FICCI paper observed, adding that
Power Grid should not be allowed to be a member of the EC
due to a conflict of interests.
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and
Industry – India
Website:
Kudankulam plant to
link with grid
The first unit of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant (KNPP) is
to be connected to the grid by the end of August 2013, now
that the atomic energy regulatory board (AERB) has agreed to
a 50 per cent increase in power generation, up to 500MW.
KNPP’s site director, R S Sundar, told the Press Trust of India
that the unit has to apply again for clearance to reach 750MW,
900MW and 1,000MW. “Right now we have already started
work for 750MW mark. Once we are done with the tests, we
will apply to the AERB for its clearance,” he said.
Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) is constructing
two 1,000MW units at KNPP, in a joint project with Russia at
Kudankulam. The unit attained criticality in July this year after
much delay, following protests against the project by
anti-nuclear activists in areas around the complex.
Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd – India
Website:
❍ The KNPP infrastructure project. Photograph courtesy of the
Hindu Business Line