Role of the Central Electricity Authority in India’s Power Sector

India’s power sector is responsible for generating, transmitting, and distributing electricity across the country. Both the central and state governments are responsible for developing infrastructure, distribution, and power regulation. The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) was constituted in 1948 under the Sector 73 of the Electricity Act 2003. 

The primary functions of the Central Electricity Authority include providing advice on policy matters and plans for the development and regulation of the electricity systems. This topic provides an overview and comprehensive of the Central electricity authority and its role in the power sector.

Functions of the Central Electricity Authority

• The responsibility of the Central Electricity Authority under the Electricity Act 2003 is in providing advisory as well as help with planning the policies involved in the development of the electricity system. 
• The CEA provides necessary advice on constructing electrical plants, electric lines, installation, operation of safety metres and grids, etc. 
• The Chairman, the CEA chief executive head, and the full authority consist of not more than 14 members. Out of the 14 members, only 8 are eligible to be full-time members. 
• The central electricity authority is responsible for advising the government on National Electricity Policy (NEP). It also helps develop short and long-term plans for the power sector. 
• The functions of the Central Electricity Authority help with coordinating the activities of planning agencies for optimal use of electricity and make it affordable for the consumers. 
• The Central electricity authority must specify the technical standards necessary for the grid connectivity and construction of the electric lines and plants. It even sets the overall standard for the operation and maintenance of the transmission line. 
• It is involved with collecting and recording the data in the power sector like generation, transmission, trading, distribution, utilisation, etc. The central electricity authority even promotes research in the power sector and carries out a necessary investigation when required. 

Role of Central and State government in the power sector

The power sector of India and the overall regulation of electricity is High CAPEX business requires investment in the development of extensive infrastructure. Both the central and state governments play different roles in the overall regulation and management of the power sector. The general regulation and generation of electricity are combined management of both central and state governments. 

The policymaking on a Central level

• It is an important aspect of the power sector. The policymaking comes under the Ministry of Power. The central electricity authority is responsible for providing advisory in policymaking in the power sector. 
• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has state-level policies and hence manages or regulates each state’s energy or power department. 
• India’s power sector is controlled by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission and the Regulatory Commission of the state. 
• The Power Grid Corporation of India is the central transmission utility, and it provides or distributes power to many states. However, the state-owned companies generate power and supply it to the state only. 
• As of 31st January 2022, the installed power generation capacity by the central is 98,327 MW, the state sector is 1,05,314 MW, and the private sector, it is 1,91,434 MW. 
• The central electricity authority plays an important role in strengthening the national power grid by integrating the operations of regional power grids. The eastern grid is connected to the northern and southern grids with the help of HVDC links. 
• The central electricity authority is an overall power advisory body for the central and state governments. It advises the state government and power generating companies on maintaining and regulating the electricity system in a controlled manner. 

Different Wings or Power Categories Handled by Central electricity authority

The role of central and state governments in the power sector is bridged by the advisory and formulation of policies by the CEA. The central electricity authority is responsible for handling different wings of the power sector, starting from planning, generation, distribution, and overall control and regulation. 

• The planning wing of the central electricity authority is responsible for fuel management, research & development, and handling the renewable source of energy for power generation. Renewable sources of energy like wind, solar, etc., are used to generate electricity and connected to the grid system. 
• The functions of the Central Electricity Authority are beyond just advising. It is responsible for planning and developing renewable infrastructure for power generation. This involves thermal, hydro, and solar forms of energy.
• Another wing involves overall power generation planning, development, and monitoring. The central electricity authority even helps regulate the grid operation, distribution of power, and electricity. 
• Year after year, it conducts all the necessary research and collects data to advise developing and creating better. 

Conclusion 

In summary, the Central electricity authority is crucial as it plays a pivotal role in providing advice to the government regarding policy matters in the power sector. It helps formulate plans for developing the electricity system and provides guidance to the state and central government. The Ministry of Power is responsible for governing the power sector, and it consists of three central pillars, which include power generation, transmission, and distribution. The Power Grid Corporation is India’s central power generation and distribution PSU, whereas multiple state-level power corporations exist. Each state corporation generates and distributes the electricity only in the respective state.