The Central Power Research Institute (CPRI), headquartered in Bengaluru, will soon be coming up with a new generation of public-private partnership (PPP) laboratories for the growth of electrical manufacturing sector, particularly in niche product categories, J. Sreedevi, Director-General, CPRI, said on Thursday. 

Speaking at the ElAsia 2026, a renewable energy expo, Ms. Sreedevi said the Ministry of Power has directed CPRI to take up a PPP model for specialised testing infrastructure. “The move is aimed at supporting industrial expansion and technological advancement in the country and the first one in this sector,” she added.  

“If private industry is interested in establishing testing facilities for emerging requirements, they can approach CPRI for setting up laboratories under the PPP model,” Ms. Sreedevi said, adding that the initiative aims to fill in gaps in advanced testing infrastructure. 

She also announced a major infrastructure expansion at CPRI, saying its existing 2,500 MVA short-circuit testing facility will be upgraded to 7,500 MVA over the next year. The enhanced facility will allow testing of 400 kV-class equipment within India. 

Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited (KREDL) has showcased the State’s renewable energy initiatives and emerging clean-tech projects at the Renewable Asia and Energy Expo, being held as part of ELAsia 2026 at the Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) from May 14 to 17. Among the key initiatives on display are solar-wind hybrid parks, battery energy storage systems and green hydrogen pilot projects that are currently in various stages of development.