WCA November 2019

India Insight

Goa’s power needs Goa’s power minister, Nilesh Cabral, has announced the state government’s decision not to purchase electricity from the southern grid, which was said to be the cause of many power interruptions faced in South Goa. Goa will now meet its entire 492MW electricity demand from the western grid. Mr Cabral confirmed that National Grid has agreed to the change. He explained that the state consumes 650MW at peak times, and will meet the deficit of 158MW by purchasing it from the National Energy Exchange when required. The minister added that receiving power from the southern grid will be considered again, when the new 400kV sub-station currently under construction at Dharbandora has been commissioned. Goa State Government – India Website : www.goa.gov.in New harness factory in UAE Motherson Sumi Systems (MSSL) subsidiary Motherson PKC Harness Systems has acquired 21,000m 2 of land at the RAKEZ Al Hamra Industrial Zone in the United Arab Emirates. Work has begun on the construction of a new facility to produce wiring harnesses and injection mouldings. A ground-breaking ceremony was held recently and the factory is expected to begin production in the second quarter of 2020. Vivek Chaand Sehgal, chairman of MSSL, said: “We are very glad to have taken this important step of setting up our manufacturing facility in the fast-growing emirate of Ras Al Khaimah. This provides great opportunities for larger exposure to the global markets.” Motherson PKC Harness Systems – India Website : www.motherson.com Cables at centre of fire risk Director general of fire and emergency services Jag Mohan believes that old and damaged electric wiring in the markets and commercial areas of north and central Kolkata remains the city’s biggest fire safety threat. He has urged businessmen in north and central Kolkata to work together to find a solution to the problem, and reduce fire risks. “Please do something about the electrical wiring, which is

older than 75 years in many areas. It is the single biggest fire safety threat in north and central parts of the city. Most of you are doing well in business. Please spend a little bit to protect your business,” Mr Mohan asked businessmen at a meeting of the Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “So many fires have taken place, just because of old wiring.” Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry – India Website : www.mcciorg.com Steel acquisition settled The Indian steel maker JSW Steel has acquired local producer Bhushan Power & Steel (BPSL) for $2.7 billion, following approval by an Indian bankruptcy court. The acquisition will add Bhushan’s capacity of 3.5 million tons of crude steel per year to JSW Steel’s current steelmaking capacity of 18 million tons per year, which is primarily based in western and southern India. Bhushan’s integrated steel plant is in Odisha, and will give JSW an entry into India’s eastern market. BPSL also has re-rolling facilities at Chandigarh in northern India and Kolkata in the east. These plants make value-added products including hot-rolled coil, cold-rolled coil, galvanized sheet, precision tube and wire rod. Six integrated Indian steel producers were put up for auction under a new bankruptcy resolution law in 2017. All of these companies have been sold, although the acquisition of Essar Steel by ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel awaits final approval from the supreme court. The acquisition itself is undisputed, but several creditors have filed objections to the distribution of the acquisition funds. Bhushan Power & Steel – India Website : www.bhushanpowersteel.com Cost cutting measures The Indian state-owned telecommunications company BSNL has confirmed the loss of up to 80,000 jobs through its voluntary redundancy scheme (VRS). BSNL’s chairman, Pravin Kumar Purwar, said the scheme will see the company cut its Indian workforce by half. “We all know that BSNL’s employee cost is 75 per cent of the revenue. The number of persons in the organisation is far higher than [our] competitors. One of the proposals under discussion is the VRS.” BSNL’s financial issues have been much in the news in recent months, following Nokia’s claims for unpaid charges of approximately $112.9 million. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd – India Website : www.bsnl.co.in

41

www.read-wca.com

Wire & Cable ASIA – November/December 2016 9