On 4th May 2018, senior management executives from more than 20 electricity distribution utilities came together for the inaugural meeting of the Distribution Utilities Forum in New Delhi. The meeting was chaired by Mr. Gireesh Pradhan, former Chairperson of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission and Secretary of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. The distribution sector is a key focus of ongoing power reforms in India.
An efficient, resilient, and financially robust distribution sector is essential to meet the Government’s electrification ambitions as well as the national and global climate Launch of the Distribution Utilities Forum commitments. The Distribution Utilities Forum will bring together for the first time MDs, CEOs and other senior management of distribution utilities on a common platform to share views, learning and solutions for some of the critical challenges facing the sector.
Going forward, the Forum will focus on themes such as open access in distribution, technical and human resource challenges, as well the rollout of rural electrification schemes such as Saubhagya and Power for All. The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) functions as the secretariat for the forum and it is supported by Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation.