Power Ministry extends deadline for feedback on national policy draft

The Ministry of Power has extended the timeline seeking stakeholders’ comments on the Draft National Electricity Policy 2026 by one month till March 19.The timeline has been extended on the request of several stakeholders who have sought additional time to examine the provisions of the draft electricity policy, the Ministry said in a notification dated February 25.

Earlier, the last date to submit comments and suggestions was February 19.The National Electricity Policy (NEP) 2026 aims to address high losses and debt of discoms, non-cost-reflective tariffs, and high cross-subsidisation. A non-cost-reflective tariff is a pricing structure in which the rate charged to a particular consumer category is below the utility’s average cost of generating, transmitting, and distributing electricity to that category.

While cross-subsidisation is a pricing mechanism in which certain consumer groups (industrial, commercial, and higher-income domestic users) are charged tariffs above the cost of supply to offset and subsidise the lower tariffs provided to other groups, such as agricultural consumers and low-income households.

The draft also seeks to foster competition, ensure grid resilience to integrate increased shares of variable renewable energy, and provide consumer-centric services with demand-side interventions, the Ministry said in a statement.

The reform is being taken despite several achievements made since 2005; the power sector still has challenges, especially in the distribution segment, the Ministry had said earlier.