Power Minister reviews first ever PDS draft plan

Power Minister R K Singh on Tuesday reviewed the draft plan for power distribution sector (PDS) in the country and emphasised on integrating the planned reforms and improved processes of operations.

The draft plan is the first-ever plan at Distribution level which has been prepared by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) under the guidance of the Ministry of Power.

During the review meeting, going beyond the infrastructure and technology, the power minister laid emphasis on integrating the planned reforms and improved processes of operations into the Draft Distribution Perspective Plan.

This would enable the distribution sector to address all the people, process and technology-related aspects required for making the Power sector robust and resilient.

The minister directed that a core group of ministry officials should study the power sector 'Reforms 2.0', which would be integrated with Distribution Perspective Plan before it is released.

The efforts towards making a Distribution plan is aimed at sustaining the goal of 24X7 uninterrupted power for all with the increasing demand for electricity by consumers. The plan lays emphasis on 100% metering of all consumers and providing an electrical connection on demand.

The plan also envisages frontier technology initiatives with an objective of providing reliable quality power supply to consumers. Additionally, the plan also envisages conversion of all Electricity consumer meters into smart meters in prepaid mode within the next three years. Smart metering would empower consumers with tools to help them conserve energy and plan their electricity usage in an efficient and optimum manner.

The plan anticipates an increase in Distribution substation capacity by 38 per cent, Distribution transformation capacity by 32 per cent and an increase in a different type of feeder lengths by 27-38 per cent till 2022.

The plan, once released, would be operationalized along with the States and their DISCOMs under the spirit of cooperative and competitive federalism.

The CEA is also preparing a Distribution Planning Manual for guiding DISCOMs for future planning. This is a step in the direction of developing Standards of Service for Power Sector in India.