Power Line Magazine

Coming soon! India Smart Distribution & Technology Summit 2025 – an industry conference aimed to bring together key stakeholders in India’s #smartmetering ecosystem to share best practices for the implementation and rollout of smart meters, aligning with the vision of Viksit Bharat to achieve energy reliability and independence.   This year’s theme: Enhancing Distribution Sector Efficiency and Empowering Consumers Through Smart Metering and Digitalization Program   For more updates, watch this space! Organising partner: Power Line Magazine #PowerSector #MinistryofPower #Digitalisation #PowerDistribution #DistributionTechnologySummit #SmartMetering #GasMetering #EnergyEfficiency REC Limited Power Grid Corporation of India Limited Power Finance Corporation Ltd. National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) Energy Efficiency Services Limited Anil Rawal

At the 22nd Annual Conference on Hydropower, Raj Kumar Chaudhary, Chairman and Managing Director, NHPC Limited and SJVN Limited, highlighted the crucial role of hydropower in India’s energy transition. He emphasised the sector’s untapped potential, ongoing projects and the need for accelerated development. With a focus on pumped storage, regional water security and renewable energy integration, his address underscored NHPC’s commitment to sustainable growth and energy resilience. He also stressed the importance of collaboration and innovation in driving the sector forward. Edited excerpts here: https://lnkd.in/gR6w5qMZ #Hydropower #EnergyTransition #RenewableEnergy #Sustainability #NHPC #SJVN #PumpedStorage #WaterSecurity #Innovation #Collaboration

Session on 'Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges: Advancing Gender Equality in Power Sector' at GRIDCON 2025. The session was moderated by Ms. Mandakini Kaul, South Asia Regional Coordinator, The World Bank Group. Setting the context for the panel, she noted that one of the things that has been seen is that women are significantly less likely to enroll in STEM education as compared to men. Globally, women account for only about 28% of engineering graduates, and 40% of computer science graduates while currently only one in five women tend to enroll in artificial intelligence. Even in India which graduates the most engineers in the world, just 32 per cent of engineering graduates are women. Excerpts from this session.. Dr. Tripta Thakur, Chairperson, National Power Training Institute (NPTI), Official “There is a huge requirement for training and capacity building for women and giving them confidence that they can participate in the workforce.” Ms. Amanda Olson, Vice President, Burns & McDonnell, USA “Leaders need to be active in finding people that not only can be mentors for women but could be sponsors for them when they have a seat at that table and advocate for them as they know what they're capable of and would be excellent to fill some of these opportunities.” Ms. Bani Varma, Director (IS & P), Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited “Managerial intent is more important than policies for creating an enabling environment for women. We must also handhold women to ensure that they are skilled and equipped with the requisite resources and expertise to handle responsibility.” Ms Rashmi Govil, Director, Indian Oil Corporation Limited (Iocl) “What we are doing very diligently is creating opportunities more than specific policies so that women can take on more challenging roles and we see more women rise to the top.” Dr. Shivani Sharma, Principal Technical Consultant, Hitachi Energy "As we navigate energy transition, women should be ready with strategic plans and relevant skills to drive innovation. Let's focus on equal outcomes through equal opportunities, ensuring impact. Together, we can advance a sustainable energy future for all." Ms. Geetha Hariharan, Head Engineering (SAARC Countries), L&T Construction “We have introduced a leadership development programme called Winspire to identify, groom and mentor women into leadership roles so that they are trained to be confident, resilient and break barriers.” Event by: Power Grid Corporation of India Limited in association with CIGRE Media support: Power Line Magazine, Global Transmission Report #GRIDCON2025

Mikhail Timofeev, StorEn Technologies Inc., UAE delivered a session on 'Battery Energy Storage Systems' at GRIDCON 2025 Event by: Power Grid Corporation of India Limited in association with CIGRE Media support: Power Line Magazine, Global Transmission Report #GRIDCON2025

Session on 'Disaster Resilient Infrastructure Design of Transmission Lines' presented by Pierre Van Dyke, Hydro Québec, Canada at GRIDCON 2025 Event by: Power Grid Corporation of India Limited in association with CIGRE Media support: Power Line Magazine, Global Transmission Report #GRIDCON2025

Session on Digital Transformation & Sill Development in Power Transmission at GRIDCON 2025 Mr.V.K. Singh, CEO, Power Sector Skill Council: Skills are not readily available but require dedicated time and investment to cultivate, even when hiring top talent. He framed India as a potential global hub for skilled manpower, capable of providing 20% of the world's workforce if skilling initiatives are properly implemented.   Mr. Anish De , Global Head for Energy Natural Resources and Chemicals, KPMG India: Digital technologies can play a critical role in addressing the challenges of training, operations, and maintenance. There is a need to make training and information accessible to a broad audience, including prosumers and citizens, and adapt the delivery of information to suit their specific needs and levels of technical expertise in the power sector.   Prof. Sukumar Mishra, Director, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad  painted a vision of a decentralized, dynamic, and digitally driven power sector, fueled by prosumers, secured by blockchain, and powered by AI solutions that are both innovative and uniquely suited to the Indian context. He urged stakeholders to embrace these emerging technologies strategically, with a focus on collaboration, adaptability, and indigenous development, to unlock the full potential of India's power sector.   Dr. Yatindra Dwivedi, Director (Personnel), Power Grid Corporation of India Limited highlighted the significant transformations occurring within India's power transmission sector, driven by evolving load demands and rapid digital advancements. He also touched upon digital capabilities such as digital twins in transmission sector of India Dr. Tripta Thakur, Director General, National Power Training Institute (NPTI), Official emphasized the need for robust training and capacity building within India's power sector to prepare for the transformative impact of emerging technologies. She urged India to take the initiative in adopting and developing new technologies, recognizing the critical role of start-ups and the ecosystem in driving innovation.   Mr. Rajendra Prasad singh, Chairperson, Board of Governance (BoG), Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur and IIT Bhubaneswar emphasized that technology is merely a tool, and its impact depends on how it is used. While recognizing the necessity of electricity for artificial intelligence, IoT, and data communication, he highlighted the growing threats of cyber-attacks and data breaches associated with increased digitization. Event by: Power Grid Corporation of India Limited in association with CIGRE Media support: Power Line Magazine, Global Transmission Report #GRIDCON2025

Session on Green Finance & Investment Sustainability in Power Transmission  at GRIDCON 2025 Mr. Ravisankar Ganesan - Director (Finance), Power Grid Corporation of India Limited "With so many renewable energy projects coming up, the scope if transmission planning now also involves grid integration if renewables, 24x7 power security, adequate resource mix for continuous availability” Mr. Sanjiva de Silva - Counsellor - Energy and Resources, Australian High Commission, New Delhi "In Australia we have launched a huge package of measures called 'rewiring the nation' and invested billions of dollars in concessional finance specifically to upgrade our transmission infrastructure, and I know India is beginning to work many similar issues." Mr. Wolf Muth - Country Director, KfW "You always should keep in mind that renewable energy projects probably just take half of the time you need for a transmission project. So if you move ahead with renewable energy projects, you always must pay attention to the transmission infrastructure development ." Mr. Tarun Shankar - Sr. Investment Professional, IFC - International Finance Corporation "There is no transition without transmission. The same traditional tools will have to be redesigned—we have to get back on the drawing boards to help clients essentially test the waters both in domestic markets as well as international markets." Mr. Arpan Garg - Executive Director, Corporate Banking Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation – SMBC Group "The key is the capital and availability of cheap capital because that drives the penetration of the infrastructure in the country. The green finance market has already crossed one trillion dollars—it's a huge market which can be mobilised to fund the infrastructure for facilitating green energy adoption." Moderated by: Manpreet Singh, Partner - Climate & Sustainability Advisory, Knowledge Partner, PwC India Event by: Power Grid Corporation of India Limited in association with CIGRE Media support: Power Line Magazine, Global Transmission Report #GRIDCON2025

The panel on Global Energy Governance Dialogue: Energy Cooperation & Strategic Partnerships at GRIDCON 2025 featured a discussion among Dr. D Saibaba, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Power; Mr Raghuveer Sharma, Advisor, Africa50 ; Dr Sanjay Kumar, Chief Policy Advisor, Climate Parliament and Dr Andrey Poduchufarov, Trade Representation of Russia in India. The session was moderated by Mr Kunal Singhal, Executive Director-Utility Transformation, Climate and Energy Advisory, PwC. Event by: Power Grid Corporation of India Limited in association with CIGRE Media support: Power Line Magazine, Global Transmission Report #GRIDCON2025

The panel discussion on “Indian Power Sector in 2047” at GRIDCON 2025 explored the key factors shaping the future of India’s power sector, including the role of transmission companies, grid stability, reliability and resilience, technological advancements in transmission, and policy and regulatory changes. Mr Padam Prakash, Partner, PwC, moderated the session. The panellists for the session were Mr Naveen Srivastava, Director (Operations), POWERGRID; Mr Reshu Madan, CEO, Sterlite Power; Mr Hemant Jain, Member, CEA; Mr S.C. Saxena, Director (Market Operations), Grid India; and Mr Subir Sen, Executive Director, POWERGRID.  Key session updates: With an expected addition of 200,000 ckt km of transmission lines and a surge in transformation capacity to over 4,000 GVA, traditional manual operations would no longer be feasible. Instead, the grid would need to be AI-driven, IoT-enabled and largely unmanned. - NAVEEN SRIVASTAVA Director (Operations), Power Grid Corporation of India Limited Investment in transmission infrastructure is critical. Transmission development is lagging behind generation capacity, posing a major challenge for the sector. One of the major challenges is the efficiency gap. Speed, innovation and mechanisation are essential for transforming the transmission sector. - Reshu Madan, CEO, Sterlite Power The evolving energy system will require careful planning and coordination among central, state and private sector players to ensure stability. There is a need for continued collaboration to address the challenges posed by an increasingly RE-driven grid. - Hemant Jain, Member, Central Electricity Authority With the rise of renewable energy in western, northern and southern India, electricity transmission flows are changing. This shift requires significant upgrades and modifications in transmission infrastructure to efficiently integrate and manage variable renewable energy sources. - S.C. Saxena, Director (Market Operations), Grid Controller of India Limited There is a need for a “smart” power system – one that can sense meaningfully and respond in real time – enabled by the internet of energy (IoE) integrated with the internet of things (IoT). - Subir Sen, Executive Director, Power Grid Corporation of India Limited By 2047, India’s estimated economy is projected to reach $30-$35 trillion, with a per capita income of around $14,000 (up from the current $2,500), making a robust and dynamic power sector crucial to support this growth. - Padam Prakash, Partner, PwC Event by: Power Grid Corporation of India Limited in association with CIGRE Media support: Power Line Magazine, Global Transmission Report #GRIDCON2025

" HVDC is set for transformative growth, transitioning from isolated projects to large-scale interconnectors that complement AC grids " - Dr Marcio Szechtman, Director General, CEPEL, Brazil at GRIDCON 2025. Event by: Power Grid Corporation of India Limited in association with CIGRE Media support: Power Line Magazine, Global Transmission Report #Gridcon2025