The Central Power Research Institute (CPRI) electric testing lab at Shilapur in Nashik district will be inaugurated today, Sep 10, by Union Energy Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal and Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan will also be present.
The lab, developed following efforts by Bhujbal and former MP Sameer Bhujbal, is expected to give a major boost to the industrial and electrical engineering sectors in Nashik and across Maharashtra. Spread across 100 acres at Shilapur, the project was approved in February 2013 and marks the first CPRI electric testing facility in western India.
Nashik has more than 450 small and medium industries manufacturing electrical panels and equipment. Until now, manufacturers had to send their products to Bhopal or Bengaluru for testing. Entrepreneurs in Nashik had long demanded a local testing facility, and the approval was secured after assurances from Chhagan Bhujbal during his tenure as guardian minister of Nashik.
CPRI is a Central Government institute under the Ministry of Power. Officials said it is not merely a laboratory but also a key institution for electrical safety and research. With growing global demand for electrical equipment, the institute ensures quality certification and industry support.
Nashik, which is emerging as an industrial and educational hub alongside its religious identity, already hosts manufacturing centres of multinational companies, including Mahindra & Mahindra, Siemens, Kirloskar, ABB, Crompton and Schneider Electric. The new testing lab is expected to serve these industries and strengthen Nashik’s role in the electrical engineering sector.
