India & Rest of South Asia to Invest US$25.9 billion in Smart Grid Infrastructure

Source: · T&D WORLD · | October 23, 2020

Investment to address high non-technical losses and need for remote metering during the pandemic, says study.

Source: T&D World

South Asia is set to become a leading destination for smart grid infrastructure investment over the next decade. Dominated by India, the region will invest US$25.9 billion to modernize its power sector over the period 2020-2029, according to a new study published recently by the Northeast Group.

Smart metering will account for the majority of investment but other segments such as grid automation and battery storage will also see significant development. The market is seeing early growth even as the region continues to cope with the fallout of the global pandemic and ongoing geopolitical tensions between China and India.

“Obviously the Covid-19 crisis is far from over, and along with the human toll, the region has taken a nosedive economically,” said Stephen Chakerian, senior research analyst at the Northeast Group. “But ultimately Covid-19 could be seen as a positive for smart grid infrastructure development in the region. The few South Asian utilities that already had smart metering in place showed much higher collection rates during the lockdown and interest is growing even as the pandemic continues.”