Union Power Minister Manohar Lal inaugurated the Centre of Excellence for Regulatory Affairs in the Power Sector at IIT Delhi, which has been set up in collaboration with the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) and Grid Controller of India Ltd (Grid India), according to an official government release.
The Centre has been established to strengthen regulatory research and capacity building in India’s electricity sector, which is undergoing rapid transformation due to expanding power markets, increasing renewable energy integration, digitalisation, and evolving grid operations.
As per the release, the Centre of Excellence will function as a national-level platform for regulatory research, training, advisory support, and knowledge dissemination, bringing together academic expertise, regulatory institutions, and system operation perspectives within a single framework.
The Centre will work closely with CERC and Grid India to identify regulatory and sectoral challenges, support human resource development, and undertake research aligned with national priorities and global best practices. It will also provide advisory and consultancy support to regulators and other power sector stakeholders.
Speaking at the inauguration, Manohar Lal said that as India moves towards clean energy, competitive electricity markets, and consumer-centric reforms, strong regulation supported by research and analytical capability is essential for sustainable sector growth.
The government said the Centre’s work will focus on addressing key challenges related to affordability, sustainability, and efficiency in the power sector. It will develop analytical tools and system models to assist regulators in evaluating proposals from the perspective of consumer welfare, system reliability, and long-term investment requirements.
IIT Delhi Director Rangan Banerjee said the institute’s partnership with CERC and Grid India aims to create knowledge frameworks that help make the electricity sector sustainable, affordable, and future-ready, while strengthening regulatory capacity across institutions.
CERC Chairman Jishnu Barua said effective regulation must be supported by sound data, analysis, and long-term thinking, and noted that the Centre would contribute to evidence-based policymaking in the electricity sector.
Grid Controller of India CMD S C Saxena said regulatory frameworks must align with operational realities of the power system, adding that insights from system operations would directly inform regulatory research through the Centre.
Power Secretary Pankaj Agarwal said the initiative would play an important role in the long-term development of the power sector.
The Centre of Excellence will focus on multidisciplinary research areas including power sector regulations, market design, grid operations, energy transition challenges, decarbonisation pathways, digitalisation, and emerging technologies such as energy storage, demand response, and green hydrogen. Structured training programmes are also planned to support long-term regulatory capacity building.
