Punj Lloyd to foray into power T&D segment

Engineering and construction major Punj Lloyd will soon foray into the power transmission and distribution business and is preparing a blueprint for the same, the company said today.

The government’s initiative to build independent transmission projects is the prime reason for the company’s foray into that space, J P Chalasani, MD and CEO of Punj Lloyd, told PTI in an interview.

“Independent transmission projects (announced by the government) are the reason we want to diversify in the T&D sector,” he said.

Chalasani said, T&D is one area which will see great amount of funding, it is also much easier to build capability in this segment than the power generation portfolio and “that is where we are preparing our blueprint.”

As far as power generation projects are concerned, the company is waiting for better clarity on the fuel supply.

“We are looking at it (generation) but will wait for the fuel issue to be resolved,” Chalasani, former CEO of Reliance Power who joined Punj Lloyd in January this year, said.

The Ministry of Power has announced setting up of independent transmission projects by seeking greater participation from the private sector. The objective of this initiative is to develop transmission capacities in India.

The preliminary survey work, identification of route, preparation of survey report, initiation of process of land acquisition, initiation of process of seeking forest clearance will be done by the government after which it will conduct the bidding process.

At present, a major portion of country’s transmission network is built by central transmission utility Power Grid Corporation.

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