Transformers

After the    enactment  of Energy Conservation Act 2001 &  Electricity Act 2003,  BEE & CEA, MoP commissioned  these authorities to  issue two guidelines in August & December 2008 for S&L programme for defining losses  and   to  follow the specification/technical parameters enumerated  there in respectively  by the distribution  transformer manufacturers. Consequently  BEE issued  notification  in  January 2009  prescribing  losses of DT  for star 1 to star 5 ranging  from maximum to minimum losses. While CEA issued notification August 2010 on Technical Standards for construction of electrical plants and  electrical  lines, regulation 2010,   wherein  it was provided that minimum star 3 is only required to be  manufactured, procured   and installed in the system.  But this regulation has again been amended  in April  2015 where it has been notified that  “the maximum losses of  oil filled DTs shall be as per relevant Indian Standard”.

Since  then, distribution transformer manufacturers  had been  diligently  following norms of these authorities in    conjunction   with requirements of discoms/ utilities.  \

In the meanwhile, IS:1180  (1989) was  revised by BIS in 2014 which  incorporated losses of DT and lebeled  them as level 1  to level 3 in   line  with BEE’s  star 3 to star 5.  Moreover  Ministry of Heavy Industries (DHI) issued Quality Control Order 2014 for DTs  initially upto 200 KV at 11 KV as per old IS:1180 (1989)  and finally amended in 2015 up to 2500 KV at 33/22/11 KV level  as per revised IS:1180 Part 1/2014.

Besides, all these authorities particularly BEE &BIS  had been issuing their guidelines and  norms for  star labeling  & registration/ certifications of the  manufactures for manufacture and supply  of DTs to the discoms/utilities  culminating   for the  manufacturers  for dual certification  which is  being   agitated   with BEE/CEA/BIS and has created   lot of  unrest amongst the  DT  manufactures  as  BEE/BIS both do not   want to  leave the   hold as they are  milching  the cash  cow akin to polyandry  i.e. one wife has to   succumb to the pressure  of two husbands.  In all fairness the interest of  transformer industry  and  Govt is well served  if BIS  who is responsible for formulating the Indian Standard is only given the  sole authority for certification instead of BEE & BIS which is not being agreed to by  MoP  and  needs to be reviewed by  for affording  relief to distribution transformer manufactures.

Now the BEE’s notification dated January 2009 has since been amended vide   notification dated 16th December 2016 which  is   finally effective  from 1st July 2017 for  uprating the losses for star  rating of DTs  of old star  4 or level 2 of BIS to star 1 and old star 5 or level 3 of BIS to star 2, and so as on  up to  star 5.

There was  initial reaction   of opposing this  uprating  but having felt that  this  aspect  is in the larger interest of the country for energy   conservation and reduction  of carbon  footprint , has been reluctantly agreed and accordingly  distribution transformer  manufactures have   upgraded  their  manufacturing technique in order to meet the  requirement of BEE/MoP’s  notification dated 16th December 2016 .  Now the difficulty will arise if the new star 2 (old 5)  is adopted without  having  gone into the  nitty gritty of  availability of  adequate  quantity of superior grade  core material l in the market.  The onus rests on  BEE to   frame timeline   in consultation with all stakeholders, so that no problem  is apprehended  by the manufactures in the country and they would  equip themselves  lest  any  impediment  comes up for  switching  over to  new  star level.  It would be  necessary that    at least  2 years period is given   as
most  of the distribution  transformer manufacturers  falls in MSME category.

Another main difficulty  with BEE is that  distribution transformer manufacturers  have to struggle to obtain star label under S&L programme.  Numerous   communications and meetings with officials   have  no effect.  Even once in one of the meetings on 12th May 2017.  BEE   under took to evolve  mechanism  to ease the procedure for star label  registration with BEE  but  so far all in  vein.   Moreover BEE has been approached for   modification of the  notification   to the effect that all  orders placed on  distribution transformer manufacturers prior to 30th  June 2017  by   discoms/utilities   including EPC  contractors, Private contractors for electrification works of  colonies, malls, hospitals  etc  should be allowed  supply DTs as per  old  BEE’s notification  of 2009.

 In order to allow the industry to do the business with ease  the  authorities should  take immediate necessary action as under:

2017. i) BEE to issue immediate clarifications to its  instructions to transformer manufacturers dated 28th August 2017 to allow
      supply of DTs ordered by EPC contractors or private parties before 30th June 2017.
2018. ii) To prepare a calendar for applicability/ switching over to the next higher Energy Efficient star  rating  e. star 2 and  above in  advance,  in consultation with the stakeholders, so that  all  the stakeholders  make  the preparation for adoption.

iii)        To prepare the user friendly format for the application for the stakeholders to get the star labels  from BEE  on fast track basis without  any  Hiccups.