Starting way back in 1971 as a trading firm in electrical cable accessories, Rajesh Power Services Pvt. Ltd moved into EPC of more technically demanding projects of power transmission, distribution and substations. "Today, we are a leading EPC contracting company in the area of HV, MV and EHV T&D projects," says Kurang Panchal, Director of the company We started as a trading firm in electrical cable accessories and other related products in 1971. Subsequently, we became a leading channel partner of Sintex for sheet moulding compound (SMC) distribution boxes and 3M for their cable accessory business. With initiation of reforms in the power distribution sector in the late 1990s, we forayed into contracting business in early 2000s and developed a specialisation in EHV cable systems.Over the years, we have spread our wings and covered the entire chain of activities of power transmission and distribution (T&D) and become a leading Engineering, Procurement, Construction (EPC) contractor for power T&D projects. Today we have completed more technically demanding projects of MV and EHV Gas Insulated Substations (GIS) in addition to Air Insulated Substations (AIS) and T&D system undergrounding projects. We are also majorly contributing to the national infrastructure development through utilities shifting for majorprojects like bullet train, expressways, metro rail, etc.
In 2010, when the Government of Gujarat announced the policy to boost development of solar power projects in the state, we established a 1 MW solar power plant in a record period of three weeks. Today, we have achieved a group turnover of over Rs 3.5 billion with a vision to become a leading EPC company in the coming years. So, it has been a continuous journey with the company scaling new peaks of achievement at regular intervals.How were you able to successfully meet the challenges emerging from the nationwide lockdown enforced due to the COVID-19 pandemic?
As a service provider to leading power utilities, we received permission from the authorities to carry out essential activities to ensure an uninterrupted power supply. Accordingly, we organised our manpower as per the guidelines to carry out essential operations.
Subsequently, towards the end of May 2020, we resumed work on all our projects to complete them on time. What is your outlook for the country's power sector in 2021?
We see the development of renewable power projects as one of the primary areas of development in the sector with government going aggressive on its 185 GW target by 2022. We also see growth of businesses in the area of smart grid management and bringing in automation in the power supply chain with products that help utilities reduce technical & commercial losses. Given the government's efforts to boost investment into the country's infrastructure, we see growth in the power sector.Any proposed areas of expansion in the 2021-22 fiscal?
Aiming high for the future, we are exploring geographical expansion of our operations outside Gujarat. We are also planning to enter the gas segment and giving technical services to major private utilities. We also continue to explore new technologies and tools that can take the quality of our services to the next level. Given the ongoing privatisation of distribution companies, we at Rajesh Power are committed to provide reliable services to our clients.