What is your perspective on the current state of power transmission segment?
Power transmission infrastructure globally is at a crucial juncture, navigating both significant growth opportunities and also facing substantial challenges. In India, this sector has made a remarkable progress in recent years, expanding the national grid and improving connectivity, but it still faces several hurdles. We are expanding high-voltage networks and increasing private participation through competitive bidding, although Powergrid still remains the most dominant player.
Key developments:
- Substantial capacity expansion in inter-state/inter-countries transmission lines.
- Progressive adoption of advanced technologies (synchrophasors, STATCOM).
- Integration challenges with renewable energy sources.
Ongoing regulatory reforms for market-based mechanisms.
Critical challanges:
- Ageing infrastructure issues as most of the equipment in the systems is getting older and has outlived its lifespans.
- Shortage of skills due to specialists retiring and lack of availability of trained manpower worldwide.
- Cybersecurity issues due to interconnected systems vulnerabilities that can compromise the entire network.
- Weather unpredictability due to extreme climate changes further accelerates the deterioration of the equipment.
- Energy transition issue that requires a complete redesigning of the centralised system to accommodate two-way power flows and distributed resources for the integration of renewable energy in the grid.
To conclude, I would say that we are up for an exciting time ahead. All stakeholders need to work together to find out the best way forward, as we need to not only handle the rapid transition in the energy sector but also keep in mind sustainability issues, which may impact our future adversely.
What are Polywater’s specialised services and solutions for the Indian power market?
Polywater considers India as a strategically important market, particularly due to its large and growing installed base of power and distribution transformers. Our specialised offerings for the Indian power market include the following.
- PowerPatch® transformer leak repair system
A specialised solution for in situ transformer leak repair, designed to fix both passive and active leaks in transformers. PowerPatch can repair micro-holes, bushing leaks, valve stem leaks, bolt leaks, gasket leaks and cooling fin leaks. It can withstand pressures up to 13.5 bars, making it suitable for even the largest substation transformers. Polywater has certified installers in India, such as LeakXpert, to ensure high-quality workmanship.
- Additional electrical market solutions
- FST foam duct sealant: Seals underground cable raceways against water, gas and rodent ingress.
- PMT pedestal sealant: Creates water and rodent-proof barriers for pad-mounted transformers.
- Duraplate epoxy mortar: Repairs leaks and defects in cement structures such as transformer basements.
- Cable pulling lubricants: Facilitates installation of medium- and high-voltage cables in underground conduits.
- Infrastructure hardening solutions
Specialised products to create more resilient and reliable systems, including foam conduit sealants and equipment repair sealants, which protect critical electrical infrastructure.
Our proactive approach for the Indian market, as in other markets, includes the combination of high-performance products and technical expertise to help power and telecom companies address challenges such as the ageing infrastructure, extreme weather resilience and maintenance of critical power distribution assets.
What are the company’s core competencies?
Polywater distinguishes itself as a solutions provider deeply rooted in customer collaboration. Our business model centres on identifying and resolving specific field challenges, placing us in a continuous state of evolution to address evolving customer requirements. This dynamic exchange between our laboratory expertise and frontline field experience fundamentally differentiates us from other conventional manufacturers. By developing a comprehensive understanding of installer conditions, we continuously refine our product portfolio to maintain optimal relevance and effectiveness.
Superior field performance serves as the cornerstone of our value proposition. Every Polywater product undergoes comprehensive standardised testing protocols before market introduction, simulating authentic materials, application configurations, operational constraints and environmental variables. This rigorous approach enables us to proactively identify potential performance limitations and equip installation teams with thoroughly validated solutions.
Our strategic advantage is further enhanced through robust partnerships with industry organisations, cable and conduit manufacturers, and engineering firms. These collaborative relationships facilitate the development of innovative products and formulations, specifically engineered to address emerging field challenges with precision and reliability.
What are some of the key clientele served by Polywater in the energy sector?
Polywater has a strong presence in the energy sector worldwide and we serve many prominent customers such as Con Edison, PSE&G, the US National Grid, Xcel Energy, Duke Power, Hawai Electric Company, Pacific Gas & Electric, etc., from the US; CFE (Mexico), Chilectra (Chile), MB Hydro, Barrie Hydro, ALCOA, ENMAX and EPCOR, etc., from Canada; In the Middle East region, we have ALBA (Bahrain), Ibrid Electricity Co. (Jordan), MEW, Kuwait Steel Factory and Al Ahleia Switchgear Co. (Kuwait), Mazoon Electricity Co., Voltamp Power LLC (Oman), Masaieed Power and Qatar Energy (Qatar), Saudi Electric Company, Wescosa, SPTC and Alfanar (Saudi Arabia), DEWA, SEWA, Ray International and Eurogulf Transformers, etc., as our main customers.
Apart from the list mentioned above, we deal with almost all the major cable companies located across the globe and provide their design engineers a free software called Pull Planner to plan their cable routes and help them pull their cables in the ducts or conduit with the minimum coefficient of friction.
What are Polywater’s future plans for APAC and GCC regions?
Strategic global expansion and knowledge development is the key mantra for us. As we are doing quite well in the US and the European markets, we have identified the Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) regions as our focus areas for future growth in the coming years. Hence, we have established our 2nd international subsidiary in Dubai. As vice-president of this region, I am spearheading this strategic expansion through cultivation of new business partnerships and collaborative ventures across these high-growth markets.
Concurrent with our global growth initiatives, Polywater recognises the industry-wide challenge presented by accelerating retirement of experienced professionals. This demographic shift has created a substantial knowledge deficit within the electrical and communications sectors. In response, we have implemented a comprehensive knowledge transfer programme centred around our proprietary Knowledge Hub platform and active participation in targeted industry initiatives designed to develop and mentor the next generation of infrastructure specialists.