The event will assemble the largest gathering of the Who’s Who of global electrical industry on a single platform at Bangalore. Industrial Products Finder offers a preview.

On February 13th, and Bangalore International Exhibition Complex (BIEC) will be ‘electrified’, ‘empowered’ and ‘supercharged’ and remain so until 17th, the duration of ELECRAMA-2016 – World Electricity Forum – the biggest showcase of the world of electricity, bringing together the complete spectrum of solutions that powers the planet, featuring not just equipment and technology, but peerless thought leadership platforms for everything electric – from technical conferences to industry summits.

Sample this. Organised by the Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers’ Association (IEEMA), the apex body of the electrical industry in India, the biennial event in its last edition held at Bangalore for the first time ever, attracted nearly 1000 exhibitors and over 100,000 footfalls. The 12th edition scheduled later this month at the same venue will certainly improve upon both figures. No other show in the electrical sector embraces the entire electrical universe and brings together the Who’s Who of global electrical industry on a single platform.

India today is the world’s third largest producer of electricity and has a robust and thriving electrical products and equipment manufacturing industry spanning the entire value chain from generation, transmission, control, distribution and the last mile connectivity to end users – industrial, commercial and domestic, with metering and even collection. The Indian electrical equipment industry has a diversified, mature and strong manufacturing base, with robust supply chain, and a rugged performance design of products. There is also an emerging global reputation of Indian electrical equipment for sourcing of base products and components.

The fact is ELECRAMA has now turned into a movement, beyond just an exhibition. Says Aaditya Dhoot, Chairman, ELECRAMA-2016, “In the last two decades ELECRAMA as an exhibition featured the biggest names in the global electrical T&D industry, to which it serves as the perfect launch vehicle to introduce latest products and technologies. ELECRAMA showcases products and technologies through the entire voltage spectrum, from 220 V to 1200 kV, conforming to global standards and specifications. A large number of business and technology partnerships are also transacted during the 5-day period giving it a must attend event status amongst global exhibitions.”

The 800 plus members companies of IEEMA account for nearly 97% of all power equipment manufactured in the country. These members include multinational companies with manufacturing facilities in India, but a large majority of them are home-grown SMEs, indicating the diverse nature of the industry. Among these SMEs are companies that have built high R&D capabilities and are at the forefront of leading edge technologies, with worldwide clientele. India has one of the smallest per capita electricity consumption in the world, which has reached 1010 kilowatt-hour (kWh) in 2014-15, compared with 957 kWh in 2013-14 and 914.41 kWh in 2012-13, according to the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), India’s apex power sector planning body. This compares poorly with statistics provided by the CIA World Factbook which places the country at 153, in the comity of over 200 nations. Though figures can be misleading – given the size, climate and population of various nations – the fact remains that there is great potential for the sector in India.

IEEMA President, Mr Babu Babel, shares the sentiments. “The power sector in India is at a very interesting stage at the moment, thanks to the many positive developments in the sector in the last ten years, with capacity additions. The last one year has been very positive when shortages have been reduced, coal stocks improved and prices reduced coupled with the huge thrust on renewables,” he says, referring to recent news from Rajasthan where solar power was bid at Rs 4.37 per unit which compares very well with the prevailing conventional power generation rates.

The Indian electrical equipment industry size presently is estimated to be in excess of USD 23 billion with exports of USD 6 billion. The industry provides direct and indirect employment to over 1.5 million persons, and to over 5 million across the entire value chain. Together, IEEMA members have the capability to design and develop any equipment, system and component from power generation, to transmission and distribution, down to the metering of power supplied to the consumer, with metering and automated billing. In fact, according to an industry expert, a third of all the smart devices used globally in the electrical industry are designed in India, whether these are all manufactured and used in India is debatable. But if the stakeholders desire to use these sophisticated automated metering and billing devices, they are available right here.

Piyush Goyal, the Minister of State with independent charge for power, coal, new and renewable energy in the Government of India, has brought in a fresh approach to the sector and helped rejuvenate it, in the process raising the confidence of the industry. Though power is a concurrent subject, there is now more interaction and synergy between the states and the central government with regular meeting of all stakeholders.

Power theft – a serious concern

T&D Losses – transmission and distribution losses are also termed as theft & dacoity losses thanks to the rampant power theft across the country. Political considerations like populist measures offering free power crippled the utilities and affected the quality of power benefitting none. Industries were forced to install captive power generation capacities in the absence of quality power 24/7 – this despite the installed power generation capacity today being in excess of the total peak demand. Ironically, an estimated 300 million Indian citizen are still living in darkness, literally, without access to electricity.

Power theft estimates range from a whopping Rs 70,000 crore to Rs 100,000 crore per annum! Money that can end the financial crises the distributors are facing, which in turn results in their inability to buy power from generation companies, which in turn impacts their capacity to upgrade equipment that can reduce T&D losses. It is a vicious circle that has nearly crippled the industry.

But private distribution companies (Discoms) are now gradually making a difference. In places like Bhiwandi, just outside Mumbai, where just a fraction of the electricity was metered and paid for, the situation has turned for the better.

For IEEMA, the goal remains 24/7 power for all, at affordable rates. To achieve that end, ELECRAMA-2016 will have everything under one roof on display during the 5 days of the event at Bangalore, an opportunity not to be missed for anyone connected anywhere with this value chain.