Gujarat to Build 16 New Substations to Power Surat’s Lab-Grown Diamond Boom

Surat | Gujarat — The world’s largest diamond cutting and polishing centre in Surat is also known as the leader in the CVD lab-grown diamond production in India. With more than 20 CVD lab-grown diamond production units operating in the diamond city of Surat, manufacturing lakhs of carats of diamonds every month, the Gujarat government has approved new electricity sub-stations to ensure that the lab-grown diamond manufacturing continues unhampered. 

Lab-grown diamonds have also maintained the employment of lakhs of diamond worker. The same lab-grown diamond manufacturers had recently submitted to Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghvi, who is in charge of the Industries Ministry, at the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference held in Surat that the industry is not getting quality electricity, which is severely affecting the production of lab-grown diamonds. Following this submission, the government has given instructions for new substations.

Land will be purchased at market price for substations to eliminate power supply scams in Surat

A joint meeting held between Surat industrialists, high-ranking officials of companies including Gujarat Energy Development Corporation, GETCO and the state government has decided that overloaded power connections have been provided in the existing infrastructure facilities in the industrial societies developed in the areas around Surat, due to which power supply is being disrupted frequently and due to this, industrial units are suffering huge losses. 

After hearing the submissions of the industrialists that this problem has become permanent, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghvi has instructed that just as in other districts of the state, GETCO has purchased lands at market prices to set up the necessary substations, now in Surat district, it has been instructed to either purchase lands at market prices to set up the necessary 16 new substations or take the necessary ready-to-use infrastructure for the substation on lease from a private party, whichever is appropriate on a case-by-case basis.

Diamond industry leader Dinesh Navadiya said that electricity and carbon seeds are the two main raw materials in the production of lab-grown diamonds. Due to the poor quality of electricity supply and disturbances in it, the production is being badly affected.

For the last three years, the trade of natural diamonds has completely hit rock bottom. The sale of natural diamonds and related jewellery in the global market has completely decreased. In such a situation, there was a big threat to the employment of thousands of gemologists working in the diamond industry of Surat. But, due to the production of rough CVD lab-grown diamonds developed in Surat itself, these rough diamonds were supplied to diamond factories for cutting and polishing and due to this, the employment of lakhs of gemologists has been maintained in phases. 

High officials of Gujarat Energy Development Corporation, GETCO and other state government departments related to power supply were present during the presentations of the diamond industrialists. And on the spot, it was decided that as part of strengthening the eco-system of Surat’s lab-grown diamond production industry, changes should be made in the existing electricity supply infrastructure to ensure consistent and quality electricity for lab-grown diamond production. Instructions have also been given to install state-of-the-art equipment wherever needed.