Facing slowdown, India's power grid manager eyes telecom, consultancy

PGCIL plans to expand its overseas consultancy business in neighbouring countries such as Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh

India’s state-owned power transmission behemoth and central transmission utility, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. (PGCIL), is bearing the brunt of the slowdown in power generation and now looking to expand in different business areas. The company is planning to increase its footprint in telecom infrastructure, overseas consultancy and transmission network for renewable energy.

The company’s capital work in progress has been on a downslide for past four years. Since 2015, it has come down by 41 per cent to Rs 329 billion, owing to decreasing projects. Apart from state-owned NTPC, which is adding capacity, no private power generator has