Sterlite Electric Ltd and Spanish entity Lumiker Aplicaciones Technogicas S.L (RDT Lumiker) recently formed a joint venture, Sterlumiq, for establishing a platform for development, manufacture, sales, and services of cable advanced monitoring optical solutions (CAMOS) and associated products. Shortly following the launch, Frederic Trefois, CEO, Sterlite Electric and Manuel Munoz Luengo, CEO, RDT Lumiker (also selected as CEO Sterlumiq) spoke to Venugopal Pillai, discussing Sterlumiq and how its offering “CAMOS” can technically elevate the EHV cabling sector both in India and abroad.
Does the joint venture Sterlumiq represent the entry of RDT Lumiker in India?
Manuel Munoz Luengo: Lumiker was already present in India. We found a very interesting market in India where transmission operators were taking keen interest to try out new technologies — to try and solve problems that they could not solve with conventional methods. Yes, we had our own customers – Tata Power was one of the customers for which we were doing proof of concept; Adani Energy was another.
Tell us more about CAMOS, Lumiker’s cable monitoring solution.
Manuel: CAMOS (Cable Advanced Monitoring Optical System) is an integrated fiber-optic sensing and analytics platform designed for HV and EHV cable systems. It enables continuous, real-time visibility into key parameters such as current behaviour, insulation health, and asset performance. By combining sensing technologies with analytics, CAMOS supports fault detection, localization, and more informed asset management.
It supports maintenance optimization by enabling remote diagnostics and continuous monitoring of cable systems. It also incorporates protection functionalities such as differential line protection, overcurrent protection, and fault localization, allowing operators to respond more effectively to potential issues.
CAMOS is being deployed across complex transmission environments, including hybrid cable networks, enabling integrated monitoring, protection, and fault localization capabilities. Today, it is being deployed on Europe’s longest hybrid line, the 400kV corridor from North of Denmark to North of Germany.
Is there any plan of extending CAMOS to conductors?
Manuel: Applying the technology for conductors is something that we have planned. And we will eventually go on that side. The partnership with Sterlite will bring a lot of value in this context. We started with cables as we don’t want to do everything at the same time.
We have proof-tested the solution for conductors in Spain. Right now, what we are doing with Sterlite Electric is that we are integrating the CAMOS technology with their design, their manufacturing processes, their EQM and PQ testing. We don’t want to do everything at the same time. Today, our focus is more on the cables – those assets that are invisible and more of a challenge to monitor and to protect.
In India, would the JV Sterlumiq address both private and public sector transmission operators?
Frederic Trefois: Yes, we are addressing both – private as well as public sector customers. Obviously, the time might be different between one and the other. But we will be attending the whole market – in India and also globally. Because the partnership is not restricted to the Indian domestic market; it is a global partnership to serve all our customers.
It strengthens the positioning of DT Lumiker in India because of Sterlite. It also positions Sterlite in the European market because of the permanent presence of the Lumiker team in the European business.
So, it is a win-win for all customers.
Can you elaborate on the benefit of integrating CAMOS with Sterlite Cables?
Manuel: CAMOS, when integrated with Sterlite Electric’s cable systems, enables continuous monitoring and remote diagnostics across the asset lifecycle. This reduces reliance on periodic field inspections and supports a transition towards more data-driven maintenance approaches.
The system provides visibility into insulation health, operating conditions, and available capacity, enabling better planning, optimized asset utilization, and proactive intervention.
The platform is designed to help utilities transition from traditional reactive maintenance models to predictive asset management, enabling faster fault response and improved asset utilization. We believe that the system can deliver measurable operational benefits
It also tells you available capacity. It will allow you to put more energy into the same asset.
Frederic: Currently, operators are operating their cable assets at just 35 per cent load. This is because they don’t have the visibility. If you tell them they are operating at 35 per cent load in real time, they can go up to, say, 70 per cent. You don’t need to lay a second cable in parallel. You can simply put more power in the first one because you know what is really happening there.
You know what is happening to your asset in real time. This results in maximization of the asset, which is a huge benefit for any customer!
The biggest advantage to operators is by just understanding what is happening, in real time, they can eventually enhance the capacity of the cable network.
In essence, how does CAMOS differ from conventional fibre-based solutions?
Manuel: The main idea is to have all the functionalities, not just raw data. Fibre optic sensing solutions are available in the market. But with CAMOS, we can see functionalities – insulation health, transmission capacity. Even if there is a fault, we can pinpoint the fault. A short-circuit can be pinpointed.
The Indian market for EHV cables has not picked up as expected. How do you see the current trends?
Frederic: The EHV cable market is seeing steady growth, supported by increasing grid complexity and the need for more resilient infrastructure. Our focus is on enabling greater value across the lifecycle of these assets through improved visibility and performance optimization.
The beauty is that we don’t want our customers do simply put more infrastructure. We wanted to give customers an asset that is creating value for them. That it becomes something that is getting value of a lifetime of the cable asset, which is 30-40 years. This is, I believe, a key enabler to creating more value than just infrastructure.
At what stage will be integration of CAMOS with Sterlite cables begin?
Manuel: We are working with Sterlite from the early stages when the cable is actually being designed. When Camos is integrated into the asset, it already has the underlying engineering information. In other words, the models/algorithms have already learnt before going into the field.
The second point is to make the cable intelligent; the name of the product is “Intellisense Cable”. It is a “self-aware” cable. How do we do it? Today, the optic fibres that the TSOs (transmission service operators) deploy are at the side of the cable. Normally, it is on another trench. That fibre, however, does not have current sensitivity.
With Sterlite, we are integrating the sensing element into the cable. We are also specifying the fibres that we need. The last element is PQM/EQM tests that are also being integrated with CAMOS.
Frederic: The beauty of this for the contractor is that he does not need two trenches – one for cable and the other for fibre. He will put everything in one go. From a time, cost and people perspective, it is a great optimization. We can have more information, in real time, and in one single installation.
While this would apply best to greenfield applications, what about the possibility of retrofitting CAMOS on existing cable installations?
Manuel: CAMOS has specific sensors that are in plug-and-play mode. They can be installed without any disconnection. We can still apply CAMOS to those brownfield assets and convert them to IntelliSense cables.
The JV will be addressing the international market as well, as you said. Which regions have high potential?
Frederic: The Indian market is our priority No. 1. In the European market, we have seen a lot of positive developments, as we have in the US and Middle East. Australia is also on the map.
Will Sterlumiq be looking at submarine cables as well?
Manuel: CAMOS can be applied for submarine/HVDC cables. In DC cables, measurement is more with respect to PD (partial discharge) as opposed to current.
What is the voltage (kV) range for which CAMOS has been designed?
Manuel: CAMOS was designed for 66kV and upwards. However, we are seeing the opportunity of going lower in the kV range. We have supported customers for 55kV.
The main challenge in going down the kV range, I would say, is that such assets have lower capex and of shorter lengths. Hence, for the customer, the benefit of CAMOS has to be clearly demonstrated. The other one is the size. The sensor size is fine for 33kV but it would be out of proportion for lower kV cables.
In CAMOS, “current” is the main differentiator. CAMOS measures current from inside; no one else can do it with normal fibre optics. So, the technology is there, and we can leverage this for lower voltages.
Who would be Sterlumiq’s main clients in India?
Frederic: Today, Sterlite Electric’s customer base includes private operators like Tata Power and Adani Group. We have also had discussions with state transmission utilities. Our customer base today is TSOs. But it does not prevent us from getting in the DSO (distribution service operator) space in future.
What about industrial clients, apart from utilities?
Manuel: We have also visited industrial clients of Sterlite Electric where HV/EHV cables are being used – refineries, high-temperature industrial facilities. Data centres is also an interesting market where they are currently managing their own cables. The cables there are “supercritical”. Thus, apart from conventional TSOs, there is a big market with industrial players and data centres.
Is CAMOS incorporating AI to enhance its performance?
Manuel: AI is already present in CAMOS! CAMOS has real-time monitoring that is processing data. It also has a predictive functionality. The way we do it we learn from the earlier stages. With Sterlite, as I said earlier, we are learning from the manufacturing point, the EQ/PQM testing.
Tell us about how the JV Sterlumiq will proceed from here.
Frederic: The JV has been launched, and we are really excited! Sterlite Electric is building a new factory at Vadodara in Gujarat, up to 550kV EHV cables. Just on the other side of it, we will have the Sterlumiq facility that will be integrating CAMOS.
Manuel: The entire technology is going to be put up locally, engaging the domestic supply chain. The complete camos – electronics, photonics, fibre optics, software, etc. – is being done locally.
What are the currently anticipated timelines?
Frederic: If all goes well, we will inaugurate the cable and CAMOS facilities by the fourth quarter of 2026, or the first quarter of 2027.