India's Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (Saubhagya), launched in 2017, is a landmark rural electrification program aimed at providing electricity access to every household across the country, particularly in remote and underdeveloped rural areas. As of 2026, while significant progress has been made in grid connectivity, the program still faces critical challenges such as unstable power supply, inadequate distribution infrastructure, and mismatched electrical equipment with rural environmental conditions. Transformers, as the core equipment for voltage regulation and power distribution in rural grids, are in urgent demand to support the program's final phase of consolidation and upgrading. Leveraging its technological advantages in high-efficiency transformers and rich experience in overseas markets, Hubian Electric has formulated a targeted business layout strategy for the Saubhagya program, focusing on product customization, compliance certification, localized services, and sustainable cooperation, striving to contribute to India's rural electrification drive while expanding its market share in South Asia.
1. Market Opportunities and Demand Characteristics Under the Saubhagya Program
The Saubhagya program has created a huge market demand for transformers in India. According to industry data, India's rural electrification requires an estimated 2.5 million distribution transformers by 2030, with a market size exceeding $5 billion <superscript>1. However, the local transformer manufacturing capacity in India is insufficient to meet this demand, leading to a significant reliance on imports. In 2024 alone, India imported transformers worth 15.756 billion yuan from China, making China its fourth-largest transformer supplier <superscript>1. This supply gap provides a golden opportunity for Hubian Electric to enter and expand in the Indian rural market.
The rural electrification scenario under the Saubhagya program has distinct demand characteristics for transformers: Firstly, the load is scattered and fluctuating. Rural households have low individual electricity consumption, but the load varies greatly with agricultural activities (such as irrigation) and daily usage peaks, requiring transformers with excellent overload capacity and low no-load loss. Secondly, the operating environment is harsh. Most rural areas in India have a tropical monsoon climate, characterized by high temperature, high humidity, heavy rainfall, and frequent dust storms. Coastal rural areas also face salt spray corrosion, while inland rural areas suffer from severe dust accumulation. Thirdly, the installation and maintenance conditions are limited. Remote rural areas have poor transportation accessibility and a shortage of professional maintenance personnel, requiring transformers to be durable, easy to install, and low-maintenance. Fourthly, cost sensitivity is high. The Saubhagya program has strict budget constraints, so transformers must balance high performance with cost-effectiveness.
In addition, the Indian government has been strengthening the quality supervision of electrical equipment for rural electrification, mandating that all imported transformers meet the standards of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) <superscript>3. This regulatory requirement has become a key threshold for foreign enterprises to participate in the Saubhagya program, while also providing opportunities for high-quality manufacturers like Hubian Electric to stand out.
2. Product Customization Strategy: Adapting to Rural Electrification Needs
To accurately match the demand characteristics of the Saubhagya program, Hubian Electric has developed a series of customized transformer products, focusing on four core directions: high efficiency, environmental adaptability, durability, and cost optimization.
In terms of high-efficiency and energy-saving performance, Hubian Electric prioritizes the promotion of amorphous alloy transformers for rural areas. Compared with traditional silicon steel transformers, amorphous alloy transformers have no-load loss reduced by 70-80%, which is particularly suitable for rural grids with low load factors and long-term light-load operation <superscript>1. The company uses 0.20mm ultra-thin amorphous alloy strips and adopts advanced three-dimensional wound core technology to further improve energy efficiency. These transformers meet the IE3 (Premium Efficiency) standard, which not only helps reduce the operating costs of India's rural power grids but also aligns with the global trend of energy conservation and emission reduction.
For environmental adaptability, Hubian Electric has enhanced the protective design of transformers. All rural-specific transformers adopt an IP54 or higher protection level enclosure, with a multi-layer anti-corrosion coating process (derusting, phosphating, epoxy primer, and topcoat) to resist high humidity, dust, and salt spray corrosion. For areas with extreme high temperatures (e.g., Rajasthan), the transformers are equipped with enhanced cooling systems, including oversized radiators and temperature-controlled fans, to ensure stable operation even at ambient temperatures above 45℃. In flood-prone regions (e.g., Bihar), the transformer base is elevated and equipped with waterproof seals to prevent water intrusion during heavy rains.
In terms of durability and maintainability, Hubian Electric optimizes the product structure to improve reliability. The windings use high-purity oxygen-free copper conductors and advanced vacuum pressure impregnation technology to enhance insulation performance and extend service life. The transformers are designed with modular structures, allowing quick access to key components for maintenance. Considering the shortage of professional personnel in rural areas, the company simplifies the operation interface and equips the transformers with intelligent monitoring modules that can real-time monitor parameters such as winding temperature and load current, sending early warnings for potential faults via mobile networks. This reduces the reliance on on-site maintenance and improves the stability of power supply.
To address cost sensitivity, Hubian Electric optimizes the product design and supply chain. By adopting localized procurement of non-core components (such as enclosures and fans) in India, the company reduces transportation costs and import tariffs. At the same time, through large-scale production and technological innovation, the cost of amorphous alloy transformers is controlled within a reasonable range, ensuring that the products are price-competitive while meeting quality requirements. The company also provides flexible product configurations, allowing customers to choose appropriate specifications according to the actual load of rural villages, avoiding over-investment.
3. Compliance Layout and Localized Cooperation
To smoothly participate in the Saubhagya program, Hubian Electric has established a comprehensive compliance system and actively promoted localized cooperation, breaking through market access barriers and improving service efficiency.
In terms of compliance certification, Hubian Electric has completed the BIS certification for its core transformer products. The BIS certification is a mandatory requirement for electrical equipment to enter the Indian market, covering product quality, safety, and performance <superscript>3. The company's amorphous alloy distribution transformers (11kV, 22kV) and oil-immersed transformers have successfully passed BIS testing, obtaining the IS 1180 (Part 1 & 2) certification, which ensures that the products fully comply with Indian national standards. In addition, the company has also obtained the IEC 60076 international standard certification, enhancing the credibility of its products in the Indian market.
In logistics and supply chain layout, Hubian Electric has established a regional warehouse in Gujarat, India, which covers the western and northern rural areas where the Saubhagya program is concentrated. The warehouse stocks core components and finished products, enabling quick delivery to nearby project sites and reducing lead times from 45 days to 15 days. The company has also partnered with local logistics companies to solve the transportation challenges in remote rural areas, including road reinforcement and special vehicle deployment for difficult-to-access regions.
Localized service is another key part of Hubian Electric's layout. The company has set up a service center in New Delhi, with a professional team of engineers and technicians familiar with local conditions. The service center provides on-site installation guidance, commissioning, and maintenance services, and conducts regular training for local power department personnel on transformer operation and maintenance. To ensure timely response, the company has launched a 24-hour emergency service hotline, and promises to dispatch personnel to the site within 48 hours for faults in key areas. In addition, the company provides multi-language (Hindi and English) operation manuals and technical documents, facilitating the use and maintenance of the products by local staff.
Hubian Electric also actively cooperates with local partners to expand its market reach. It has established strategic partnerships with Indian power engineering companies and EPC contractors participating in the Saubhagya program, providing integrated transformer solutions including product supply, installation, and after-sales service. Through these partnerships, the company has successfully participated in multiple rural electrification projects in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Rajasthan, accumulating rich project experience and establishing a good brand reputation.
4. Project Practice and Achievements in the Saubhagya Program
Since entering the Indian market for the Saubhagya program, Hubian Electric has achieved remarkable results through its customized products and localized services, supporting the electrification process of multiple rural areas.
In the rural electrification project of Uttar Pradesh, one of the states with the largest number of unelectrified households under the Saubhagya program, Hubian Electric supplied 5,000 units of 11kV amorphous alloy distribution transformers. These transformers were installed in 200 remote villages, covering a population of over 300,000. The amorphous alloy transformers' low no-load loss characteristic has reduced the daily power loss of the local grid by 35%, significantly improving the efficiency of power utilization. The enhanced dust-proof and high-temperature-resistant design ensures stable operation even in the region's harsh summer conditions (ambient temperature up to 48℃). After one year of operation, the transformer failure rate was less than 0.5%, far lower than the average failure rate of 3% for traditional transformers used in the area previously.
In the coastal rural areas of Gujarat, Hubian Electric supplied salt spray-resistant transformers for the local Saubhagya project. These transformers adopted special anti-corrosion materials for windings and enclosures, and passed 1,000-hour salt spray tests. After two years of operation in the salt-rich coastal environment, the transformers maintained excellent insulation performance and no corrosion damage. The project has provided stable electricity for 150 fishing villages, supporting the development of local aquaculture and small-scale processing industries.
In addition, Hubian Electric's intelligent monitoring system has been widely recognized in the Saubhagya program. In the rural electrification project of Rajasthan, the intelligent transformers supplied by the company have realized real-time remote monitoring. The local power department can track the operating status of each transformer through a cloud platform, and receive early warnings for potential faults such as overheating and overload. This has reduced the maintenance cost by 40% and shortened the fault handling time from 72 hours to 24 hours, greatly improving the reliability of rural power supply.
By the end of 2025, Hubian Electric has supplied a total of 18,000 transformers for the Saubhagya program, covering 1,200 villages in 8 states of India, benefiting more than 1.2 million rural households. The company's market share in India's rural transformer market has reached 8%, becoming one of the key foreign suppliers for the Saubhagya program.
5. Future Development Strategy and Sustainable Contribution
Looking ahead, Hubian Electric will continue to deepen its layout in India's rural electrification market, focusing on technological innovation, localized production, and sustainable cooperation to support the long-term development of the Saubhagya program.
In terms of technological innovation, the company will invest in R&D of more intelligent and efficient transformers. It plans to launch a new generation of transformers integrated with digital twin technology, which can realize real-time simulation of operating status and accurate prediction of faults. At the same time, the company will develop low-voltage DC transformers to adapt to the integration of distributed renewable energy (such as small solar power generation) in rural areas, promoting the green transformation of rural power grids.
Localized production will be a key strategy for Hubian Electric's long-term development in India. The company plans to build a transformer manufacturing plant in Gujarat with an annual production capacity of 100,000 units by 2028. The plant will adopt advanced production lines and localized procurement of raw materials, further reducing production costs and shortening delivery times. Localized production will also create employment opportunities for local residents and promote the development of the local electrical equipment industry chain.
In terms of sustainable cooperation, Hubian Electric will strengthen its cooperation with the Indian government, power departments, and local enterprises. It will actively participate in the training programs of the Saubhagya program, providing professional technical training for more local power personnel. The company will also carry out corporate social responsibility projects, such as donating transformers to extremely poor rural areas and supporting the construction of rural power supply infrastructure, to enhance its brand influence and social recognition in India.
In conclusion, Hubian Electric's targeted layout for India's Saubhagya rural electrification program, based on product customization, compliance certification, and localized services, has not only achieved remarkable market results but also made positive contributions to India's rural electrification drive. In the future, with the deepening of technological innovation and localized development, Hubian Electric will continue to play its technological advantages, providing more reliable, efficient, and cost-effective transformer solutions for the Saubhagya program, and helping India realize the goal of universal and stable electricity access.
