Mumbai, 13th May 2025 – The Regional Power Conference for Western Region States was held today in Mumbai, with the presence of key dignitaries including Shri Devendra Fadnavis, the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra, and Shri Manohar Lal, the Hon’ble Union Minister of Power and Housing & Urban Affairs. The conference aimed to address challenges and opportunities in the power sector and align the efforts of Central and State Governments to ensure a sustainable, efficient, and modern energy infrastructure across the region.
The conference saw participation from Shri Shripad Naik, Union Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy, Shri Sudin Dhavalikar, Minister of Power for Goa, Shri Kanubhai Mohanlal Desai, Minister of Energy for Gujarat, and Shri Pradyuman Singh Tomar, Minister of Energy for Madhya Pradesh. Additionally, senior officials, including the Union Power Secretary and various key representatives from Central and State Power Utilities, joined the discussions.
Key Issues Addressed
The Union Power Secretary highlighted the urgency of capacity planning in alignment with the resource adequacy plan for FY2035, ensuring that the region is equipped to meet future power demands. The Secretary emphasized the need for strategic development of inter-state and intra-state transmission capacities, supported by various financing models such as Tariff Based Competitive Bidding (TBCB), Regulated Tariff Mechanism (RTM), and monetization of existing assets.
In light of recent geopolitical tensions, there was a strong call for the security of power sector infrastructure, particularly the transmission grid and distribution systems. The implementation of robust cyber security protocols and power islanding schemes was deemed critical for safeguarding these systems.
Maharashtra’s Commitment to Power Sector Reform
In his opening address, Shri Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, underscored the state’s ongoing efforts to improve the reliability and quality of power supply. He spoke about initiatives to reduce Aggregate Technical & Commercial (AT&C) losses and the plan to restructure the state’s distribution companies (DISCOMs) to ensure long-term viability. The Chief Minister also sought continued support from the Central Government for addressing financial challenges, particularly in restructuring existing debts of DISCOMs.
Union Minister’s Vision for a Future-Ready Power Sector
Shri Manohar Lal, the Union Minister, delivered a comprehensive address, stressing the need for a modern, financially viable, and future-ready power sector to support the nation’s growth. He emphasized the importance of cooperation between the Central and State Governments to achieve the vision of a “Viksit Bharat” by 2047. He also highlighted that regional conferences like this one are crucial for identifying localized challenges and finding tailored solutions.
The Union Minister specifically focused on the critical role of resource adequacy and securing power purchase tie-ups to ensure uninterrupted supply. He advocated for increased investment in storage capacities, such as Pumped Storage Projects and Battery Energy Storage Systems, as well as the need to significantly enhance India’s Nuclear Generation Capacity, aiming for 100 GW by 2047.
Focus on Green Energy and Net Zero Emissions
A significant highlight of the discussions was the call to create special zones dedicated to green energy projects to help India achieve Net Zero emissions. Shri Manohar Lal emphasized the importance of prioritizing renewable energy projects in these zones and ensuring that they are strategically integrated into the grid to achieve sustainability targets.
Smart Metering: A Path to Efficiency
Addressing the challenges in the distribution sector, the Union Minister pointed out issues such as inefficient tariff structures, suboptimal billing, and delayed payments of Government dues and subsidies, all of which hinder the sector’s financial health. To remedy this, he emphasized the need for smart metering infrastructure, specifically the installation of prepaid smart meters in Government establishments and colonies. The Ministry of Power has facilitated funding for smart metering under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), with an aim to complete installations by August 2025.
The Union Minister acknowledged the efforts of Gujarat, Goa, and Chhattisgarh in reducing AT&C losses and encouraged other states to adopt similar efficiency improvements through the implementation of smart meters and infrastructure upgrades.
Conclusion of Regional Power Conference
The regional conference concluded with a call for continued collaboration between the Union Government and State Governments, with the shared goal of strengthening the power sector to meet the growing demands of a rapidly developing nation. The participants expressed their gratitude to the Union Minister for his leadership and assured that they would continue working towards achieving the set targets, particularly in ensuring the financial viability of the sector and advancing the adoption of green energy technologies.
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