Calcutta, Feb. 8: Skipper Ltd, the Calcutta-based power transmission equipment and polymer pipe maker, is set to expand its manufacturing capacity with a new plant in Guwahati.

The company has earmarked Rs 70 crore for the project. The plant is expected to go on-stream by March 2017.

The unit, the eighth for the company, will expand the overall capacity in tower and poles to 2,30,000 tonnes per annum and pipes and fittings to 48,000 tonnes per annum.

Company officials today said the transmission sector was expected to see new orders in a few years not only from public sector entity Power Grid, but also from private players and state electricity boards.

"The transmission and distribution space will see a significant amount of investment in the coming years. Our engineering products' order book to sales stands at 1.7 times, and is diversified between domestic and international orders. We expect an increased participation in Power Grid and state electricity board projects as well as tariff-based competitive bid projects and renewable projects," said Sharan Bansal, director of Skipper Ltd.

The company's order book at the end of December 2016 was close to Rs 2,100 crore. It is also participating in a competitive bidding of another Rs 1,000-crore worth of projects.

Net profit for the December-quarter stood at Rs 22.35 crore, a growth of 19.5 per cent over the year-ago period.