The President of IEEMA on India’s connection to Africa

ESI Africa spoke with Anil Saboo, the President of the Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers’ Association (IEEMA) to discuss the link between India’s power and energy sector and the African market.

According to Saboo, the Indian power sector is undergoing a significant change that has redefined the industry outlook – a scenario that can benefit the African region.

It’s time for all to jump onto the energy transition revolution. Anil Saboo

Let’s start with why did you decide to utilise the Enlit Africa digital event to expose IEEMA members to the African Market?

Our IEEMA members have been participating in Enlit Africa formerly known as African Utility Week regularly. Since this time it is in a digital format, we thought that it would be appropriate to have the presence of our member companies as exhibitors as they may get an opportunity to interact with various decision-makers from power utilities, consultants and contractors who visit this exhibition from the majority of African countries.

This would give them an opportunity and understanding of the African power sector and how can they collaborate to leverage the opportunity for mutual growth.

As the President of IEEMA, you have a good understanding of the members. In which areas do the Indian utility products and services market excel?

The Indian power sector has an investment potential of $223.67 billion in the next 4 to 5 years. India ranks third with a focus on renewable energy. The major growth drivers are growing power demand, the large availability of manpower, increasing urbanisation, rising per capita energy consumption and electrification of the entire country.

Renewable energy contributes to over 35% of the installed electricity production capacity as of 2019. India stands as the fourth largest in installed wind power capacity and the third largest in installed concentrated solar power (CSP) capacity. India’s rank jumped to 24 in 2019 from 137 in 2014 on the World Bank’s Ease of doing business – “Getting Electricity” ranking.

The key areas to watch in near future is of distributed energy resources, EVs, digitisation and hydrogen energy.

Is the African utility market very similar to the Indian sector?

Both India and African countries have similar concerns, especially when you talk about electricity distribution. Typical problems for us here are electricity theft and stress on the network. However, smart metering technologies adoption has improved our efficiency and helped consumers to get better supply.

As the utilities have a similar background, so this technology has equal relevance for African utilities also. Also, solar, electric vehicles and energy storage is the future of energy jobs in India and South Africa. It’s time for all to jump onto the energy transition revolution.

Do IEEMA members offer solutions equipped for local Africa conditions?

The energy transition has been talked about for many years – but now the pandemic has allowed the world to make it happen more quickly than we could ever have imagined if we make the right choice. Both India and Africa have a future where energy is affordable, sustainable and accessible to all.

Urgent action is needed now to accelerate the transition that works for business, consumers and our environment. For the energy sector, I think this will mean accelerating a series of trends that are already underway: Decarbonisation, Decentralisation, and Digitalisation. However, the mega force behind all these trends is the Net Zero initiatives globally.

Successfully advancing Decarbonisation, Decentralisation and Digitalisation, so that society moves forward as one on these issues – whether we are “retro-fitting” old infrastructure or designing energy systems from scratch – requires balancing environmental, economic and social priorities. Only in this way, governments and utilities and infrastructure planners can ensure that we get future energy infrastructure “just right” – both for our economic needs and for the environment.

IEEMA members are working on technologies that will be essential for the energy transition like that of:

• Energy management: Monitoring and optimising energy usage based on demand, time-of-day, weather, usage patterns, peak demand, demand fluctuations, etc.;
• The energy mix optimisation: Digitally enabled demand forecasting and supply planning for coordinating supply and energy storage and discharging in a decentralised renewable-based power system will be a huge help in this;
• Smart grids, along with smart buildings and installations; and
• Areas in smart metering, energy storage, EV and smart transportation, automation and RPA in all sectors and cybersecurity.

In your role as president of IEEMA, what do you advise visitors to the IEEMA Pavillion at Enlit Africa digital event to look out for that is different from previous years?

On display, this year would be smart technologies from our exhibitors like smart meters, conductors, cables, cable accessories, insulators, isolators, lightning arresters, switchgear, transformers to name a few.

Apart from that, officials of IEEMA would also like to discuss joint venture opportunities with respective partners.

The 16 IEEMA members participating in the event under the IEEMA INDIA Pavilion are showcasing wide range of products as given below:

1. Aditya Birla Insulators (A unit of Grasim Industries Ltd.)- Products -Hollow & Solid core Insulators for Substation applications, Porcelain Disc, Pin & Post Insulators as well as Composite Long Rod insulators for T&D lines, and Insulators for Railway electrification. We have products that cater to all voltage levels, right up to 1,200kV lines. 
2. APAR Industries – Products- Range of business spreads across 100+ countries which includes Speciality Oils, Conductors, Cables, Lubricants, Speciality Automotive and Polymers. Aluminium & Alloy Conductors & Rods, T&D New Generation High-Efficiency Low Sag Conductors, Railway Overhead Conductors, OPGW Cable, CTC/PICC/Enamelled Strip. Also a leading provider of specialised Turnkey Solutions.
3. Elektrolites (Power) Pvt. Ltd. – Products– Manufacture, Type Test and Exports a comprehensive range of electrical equipment’s like:- Dis-connectors 11kV to 420kV,  Load Break Switches 11kV to 36kV,  Surge Arresters 11kV to 420kV, Pole Mounted VCB up to 33kV,  Auto Re-closer 33kV to 36kV, Railway Switches 25kV, – Fault Passage Indicators up to 66kV, – Drop out / Air Break Switches up to 33kV
4. Elmex– Products- Manufacturing of DIN Rail Mounted Terminal Blocks, Low Voltage Current Transformers, PV Connectivity and Interface products. Manufacturer of electrical products like Low Voltage Current Transformers, DIN Rail Terminal Blocks, Connectivity solutions for Photovoltaic, Control & Instrumentation products like Timers, Protection Relays & Interface relay boards.
5. Havells India Limited – Products– Industrial & Domestic Circuit Protection Devices, Cables & Wires, Motors, Fans, Modular Switches, Home Appliances, Air Conditioners, Electric Water Heaters, Power Capacitors, and Luminaires for Domestic, Commercial and Industrial Applications.
6. HPL Electric & Power Ltd – Products– Cables & Cable Accessories, Energy Meters, Switchgear & Controlgear- Low Voltage, Renewable Energy- Equipment And Solutions, Lighting & Lighting Accessories.
7. INDO ASIAN (Novateur Electrical & Digital System Pvt. Ltd) – Products– High quality energy efficient  LV components &  customised solutions with complete designing support  for protection / distribution for Power Utilities / Residential/ industrial / commercial  applications.
8. Kalpataru Power Transmission Limited– Products– Marquee projects with comprehensive capabilities that delivers complete solutions covering design, testing, fabrication, erection and construction of transmission lines, oil and gas infrastructure and railways projects on a turnkey basis.
9. Laser Power – Products– Leading manufacturers of an upscale manufacturing business as per the BIS/IEC standards: HT XLPE Insulated Power Cable up to 66kV; LT Aerial Bunched Cable – 1.1kV; LT PVC/XLPE Insulated Power & Control Cable – 1.1kV; Railway Signaling Cable – 1.1kV; Instrumentation Cable – 1.1kV; ACSR/AAAC/AAC Conductors – 765kV; Service Cables – .45kV to .75kV & 1.1kV; Wire Redraw Rods for Cables Manufacturing; ACSR CORE WIRES; GI EARTHWIRES / STAY WIRES / GALVANISED STEEL WIRE
10. Modern Insulators– Products– Manufacturers of Extra High Voltage Porcelain Insulators in India
11. PTSS Manufactures–– Products– Various ranges of Oil processing equipment like Online Transformer Dryout Systems (TDS), Online OLTC Filtration System (TFS), Turbine Oil Coalescing System(TOC), etc
12. Skipper Limited– Products- High quality but cost-effective solutions for infrastructure providers and telecom operators. Its international footprint spans across continents such as Latin America, Europe, and Africa and is spread across 40+ countries with presence across sub-segments such as Towers, EPC, Monopoles, Poles and Railway Electrification Structures. Skipper Limited is a national powerhouse in the Polymer pipe business. Under the brand name of ‘Skipper’, the company manufactures premium quality polymer pipes & fittings, which serve both the agricultural as well as plumbing sectors. Skipper Limited is listed at BSE (538562) and NSE (Symbol: SKIPPER) in 2014 & 2015 respectively.
13. Technical Associates Limited– Products- Leading manufacturer exporters of Power & Distribution Transformers in India. Since 1969, TAL has been manufacturing Distribution and Power Transformers and has been the preferred supplier to the leading T&D utilities, EPC contractors & Private Industries in India, Asia and Africa. TAL is now a market leader in the 132kV and 220kV class of Transformers
14. Valmont– Products– Valmont is a global leader, designing and manufacturing engineered products that support global infrastructure development and agricultural productivity. Its products for infrastructure serve highway, transportation, wireless communication, electric transmission, and industrial construction and energy markets. Its irrigation equipment and services for large-scale agriculture improve farm productivity while conserving freshwater resources. In addition, Valmont provides coatings services that protect against corrosion and improve the service life of steel and other metal products.
15. Yash Highvoltage Ltd– Products– Independent & indigenous manufacturer of niche Condenser graded High voltage and High current Transformer bushings with more than 17,000 bushings successfully installed in India and globally across more than 40 countries including USA, Italy, Australia, Korea, Brazil, Columbia, Mexico, Ecuador, Spain, Turkey, Bulgaria, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Ghana, Bangladesh, Tanzania, Taiwan, Israel and many more. Type tested manufacturing range includes OIP bushings up to 170kV, High Current Bushings up to 25,000Amp and RIP Bushings up to 245kV.