Admiral Sunil Lanba, AVSM, VSM, ADC, the Chief of the Naval Staff inaugurated the Medium Voltage (MV) Lab at INS Valsura on 24 January 2018. The event was witnessed by dignitaries from the Navy and Industry, in particular, VAdm AR Karve, AVSM, Flag Officer Commanding in chief, Southern Naval Command and Mr Bhaskar Mandal, Executive VP, M/s Siemens. The project has been executed by M/s Siemens Ltd on a turnkey basis. Inauguration of the MV Lab marks a new milestone in the modernisation plans of the Indian Navy by embracing state-of-the-art technology for ship propulsion.
The facility will be used for training personnel on the nuances of medium voltage power generation, protection and distribution. This high tech lab has been set up in the campus of INS Valsura, the Indian Navy’s oldest training establishment, where Officers and Sailors of the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard and friendly foreign navies are trained in the fields of electrical engineering, electronics and weapon systems.
The construction phase of this mega project commenced in early February 2017 and it has been completed in a record time of just 11 months. The lab, as it stands today, is a one of its kind training facility in the subcontinent and is one of only two such facilities worldwide. The setup comprises equipment manufactured at varied locations across India and is in line with the Government’s Make in India initiative.