New Delhi [India], October 5 : In a major boost to national transmission research, state-run Power Grid Corporation of India completed its advanced Centre of Excellence at Punjab Engineering College with an investment exceeding Rs 17 crore under its corporate social responsibility programme.
The facility opened well ahead of its projected completion deadline to support domestic engineering capability and clean energy transmission integration. 
Powergrid Chairman and Managing Director Vamsi Rama Mohan Burra, speaking to the media following the inauguration, noted that the technical facility, executed under the public sector enterprise's corporate social responsibility (CSR) portfolio, represents an investment exceeding Rs 17 crore aimed at tackling transmission bottlenecks and grid modernisation.
Burra stated that the project reached completion well before its projected deadlines, enabling immediate operational rollout for researchers and academic personnel.
“The work we have done here through the CSR of this power grid is worth about Rs 17 crore. This is what we have done here. It got done quite early too; I should appreciate the team also for doing this on time, much ahead of time, I should say,” Burra said.
Burra highlighted that it is not just the students who will benefit from the lab, but the research scholars, the state, and the entire region and the country as a whole. “So much integration is happening here, renewal integration, and the challenges of that. We have full surety here that some solutions will come out of this lab, and students will be attracted to this transmission sector because of it,” he added.
“Students will get a good front to learn more, as I am just hearing now. This will be one of the finest labs in the country. So that students don't need to go abroad; they can come right here and do all their research, they will achieve their full potential,” Burra said.
Conceived initially in 2025, the laboratory was originally scheduled for commissioning by March 2027. However, accelerated execution allowed the institution to operationalise the infrastructure ahead of schedule.
“The lab’s initial idea came in 2025. It was thought that it would be completed by March of 2027, but I am very happy that with so much effort put in by everyone, it was done very quickly and on time, and so that people can start taking advantage of it; it will start from today itself,” he noted.
Burra underscored that the installation addresses critical industry needs rather than serving internal corporate requirements alone. The centre aims to support national capacity targets, notably the 500 GW non-fossil energy goal set for 2030 to guarantee electricity access across the country.
“It costs Rs 17 crore, like I said, more than Rs 17 crore. But more than the cost, we are happy that it has been built on time here, and it will be very useful for the students. So we are very happy with this,” Burra said.
Highlighting the Prime Minister’s target for 500 GW energy by 2030, Burra noted that, “it is not particularly for power grids. It will benefit the entire sector. The transmission sector, the renewable sector—according to the country's 500 GW target for 2030 by the Prime Minister- to ensure power for all. The R&D or research that needs to happen for all this, there is full hope that this particular platform will help it grow much faster.”