Energetica India Magazine March 2022

Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, Kar- nataka and NTPC. We are also working with Private Power Utility companies for their Substation projects. Q In your view, what are the key chal- lenges in the power T&D sector in India? What will be their possible solu- tions? Raghavendra Mirji: The Indian Power sector is the largest and most complex power sector in the world. It is on course for a decade of transition & transfor- mation. Over the past few decades, the country has witnessed remarkable achievements like every citizen has ac- cess to grid electricity, power deficiency has sharply decreased, commitment to- wards green energy and rapid growth in renewables, etc. However, there are chal- lenges in both Transmission & Distribu- tion sectors. The distribution sector is facing challenges like high AT&T losses, huge financial losses of DISCOMs, lack of distribution infrastructure, quick Transition & integration of Renewable energy to the grid, inefficiency in billing & collection, etc. Similarly, the Trans- mission sector is having challenges like inadequate Transmission networks, lack of technological up-gradation of the grids, complete digitization of grids, proper redundancy planning, etc. Effective policy reforms (Structural, Regulatory & Operational) is the need of the hour in both transmission & dis- tribution sectors to address these issues. Private participation, Technological ad- vancement, Policy to encourage green energy, etc. can improve the efficiency of the sector further. Q Are there any new sectors as well in which Godrej is planning to enter? Raghavendra Mirji: The Indian Rail- ways is looking at the transformation from diesel to electric in the next 4-5 years, which will further open avenues for the Railway Electrification busi - nesses in the country. Considering this plan from the government, Godrej & Boyce is also planning to foray into the railway sector for undertaking Railway Electrification projects. We are also up - grading our capability in underground cabling, smart city projects, etc. We are also planning for the large capacity ground-mounted Solar projects. Q What are your views on the Cab- inets nod on the Rs 12,000 crore worth of Green Corridor Phase-2 proj- ect? What will be its impact? Raghavendra Mirji: The announcement of the Union Cabinet’s approval of Rs. 12,000-crore Green Corridor Phase-2 project, which will facilitate the inte- gration and evacuation of renewable energy from seven states, is of great significance in achieving the ambitious target of 500 GW of Renewable energy by 2030. The recent announcement by the Union Cabinet would facilitate the Public-Pri- vate Partnership (PPP) model wherein 33% of Rs 12,000 crore can be financed by the Centre and the rest can be tak- en by private or state players thereby changing the landscape of the power in- frastructure support in the country. This will give impetus to our Power Infrastructure and Renewable Energy (PIRE) business unit that has already commissioned several successful EHV substation and transmission line proj- ects up to 400kV across all territories in India and further aims to consolidate its position in the T&D segment. Godrej & Boyce has always been committed to providing critical infrastructure to pow- er the nation in its progress and has an order bank of over Rs. 1,500 crore in power T&D business of different states as of February 2022. With this new cabinet’s approval, we hope to align our goal of greener India and create more opportunities to resolve the problem of reliable power in the country. Q What are the company’s business targets in the next 2-3 years? Raghavendra Mirji: As an established player in Power T&D and Solar Segment in India, the business unit is targeting to reach Rs 2,000 crore worth of orders in the T&D, Renewable and Railway Seg- ment in the next two years. The business has recently commissioned several substation projects up to 400kV across India including tough terrain of the northeast. Going forward, we plan to expand our capacity by building 765kV substations within two years. We are also aiming for portfolio expan- sion of up to Rs 1,000 crore by next year of which, Rs 500 crore would be allocated to Railways, Rs 300 crore in Ground-mounted solar and about Rs 200 crore in overseas business opportu- nities. Q Are there any further expansion or investment plans as well in the near term? Raghavendra Mirji: We are aiming to ex- pand our portfolio by focusing on over- seas business in countries like Nepal, Bangladesh and SAARC countries in the T&D segment. There is potential for huge opportunities for developers and EPC players due to new government policies in the next seven years. Consid- ering this, we are looking at large-scale megawatt projects for EPC in both the public and private sectors for further ex- pansion. energetica INDIA- Mar_2022 21 INTERVIEW