Inputs Invited from Power Sector Utilities to Improve Asset Quality

Ensuring the reliability and safety of India’s power sector infrastructure has emerged as a key national priority. In recognition of this, a recent meeting chaired by the Advisor to the Hon’ble Prime Minister on July 15, 2025, underscored the pressing need for quality infrastructure projects across the power sector value chain.

Following this discussion, the Ministry of Power (the “Ministry”), through the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), has initiated measures to improve quality assurance, monitoring, and compliance mechanisms across generations, transmission, and distribution utilities.

The framework for quality regulation in the power sector is firmly grounded in statutory provisions. Under Section 73 of the Electricity Act, 2003, the CEA is entrusted with formulating technical standards for the construction, operation, and maintenance of electricity plants, lines, and grid systems. These standards are designed to ensure that all equipment and installations conform to national or international benchmarks, promoting uniformity, safety, and reliability.

Complementing this is Section 16 of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Act, 2016, which empowers the Central Government to mandate the use of the standard mark on goods, processes, and systems in the public interest. Through this mechanism, Quality Control Orders (QCOs) can be issued by the relevant ministry, thereby legally enforcing compliance with approved quality standards particularly crucial for critical power sector equipment such as transformers, conductors, and switchgear.

Recognizing the evolving challenges in maintaining consistent quality standards, the Ministry has established a Standardization Cell within the CEA. This dedicated cell functions as the nodal entity to:

1. Facilitate the adoption of Indian Standards across utilities and manufacturers.
2. Identify and integrate emerging technologies into existing quality frameworks.
3. Strengthen compliance and enforcement mechanisms to ensure continual adherence to prescribed norms.

In line with the recent deliberations, the Ministry has also emphasized the need to adopt advanced monitoring technologies, including drone-based inspection systems, to enhance surveillance and quality assessment at various stages of project implementation. Such technology-driven approaches will enable real-time monitoring, early detection of non-compliance, and improved enforcement of technical standards across geographically dispersed installations.

To operationalize these measures, the Ministry has invited inputs from all power sector utilities spanning generation, transmission, and distribution segments. The utilities have been requested to provide:

1. Specific issues encountered in maintaining equipment or installation quality (for example, issued with transformers, switchgear, conductors, etc.);
2. Actions undertaken to improve quality control, enforcement, and monitoring systems; and
3. Suggestions for strengthening the overall quality of infrastructure, compliance mechanisms, and adoption of emerging technologies that enhance reliability and safety.

These inputs are expected to play a vital role in shaping future regulatory and operational frameworks to ensure that India’s power sector assets meet the highest quality standards.

The Ministry’s latest initiative reflects a significant step toward institutionalizing a quality-driven ecosystem within the power sector. By combining statutory enforcement, technological innovation, and stakeholder participation, the government aims to address recurring challenges in equipment performance, installation safety, and maintenance reliability. The integration of drone-based monitoring, standardization protocols, and proactive compliance measures underscores a forward-looking approach, one that seeks not only to enhance infrastructure durability but also to reinforce public confidence in India’s power systems.