Power Minister R K Singh launched an e-certification programme for regulatory training on Friday. The programme will provide regulatory training to practitioners from diverse backgrounds, said a statement from the power ministry.
The minister also launched an IIT Kanpur-developed Regulatory Data Dashboard, an e-compendium of data containing state-by-state tariff and power discom performance details.
The Dashboard would help compare sector performance over time and across utilities. This would aid regulators, policymakers, and the entities themselves in improving said the press note.
Minister of State for Power Krishan Pal Gurjar, Secretary Alok Kumar, MNRE Secretary Indu Shekhar Chaturvedi, and other ministry officials were present. Among those present were CEA chairman and members, IIT-Kanpur Director Abhay Karandikar, state and UT representatives, CEOs of government-owned power firms and discoms, and industry representatives.
The power minister praised IIT-Kanpur for the initiative. He added that India is modernising to prepare for the next generation, but that the system is not yet sustainable. He added that capacity generation has solved energy access and supply issues, making India a power surplus nation.
“We have established one grid for the country and one unified market for power free of long-term PPAs,” Singh added.
The distribution system is being strengthened. He proposed that tariffs reflect the full cost, and elected governments can then provide subsidies. He emphasised that a regulatory framework is vital in the power sector. Regulators exist to maintain a level playing field while protecting consumer rights.
He urged research to standardise the regulatory framework. To establish a protocol for the forum of regulators, IIT-Kanpur will work with regulators and states, said the power minister.
He also urged smart metering, AI-based energy accounting, and cybersecurity research. Technology must make sense of the big data generated by AI-based energy accounting, he added.
Singh also requested that green hydrogen research be conducted in industries other than refining and fertilisers, such as steel, glass, ceramics, and heavy mobility.
He said switching from fossil fuels to green hydrogen is urgently needed, but technology issues must be addressed. He concluded by stating that the power sector is evolving and modernising. “The world is changing, and we will lead rather than follow.”
According to Gurjar, the country has fully electrified all willing households, with an average power supply of over 22 hours in rural areas and 23 hours 36 minutes in cities.
