P.A.R. Bende brings to the table close to four decades of experience in varying roles in Madhya Pradesh’s power sector. He has worked extensively in areas pertaining to the implementation of SCADA and energy management systems, operations and maintenance of thermal power plants, energy accounting, regulatory matters, etc. across the generation and transmission segments.
For the past 31 years, he has been associated with the Madhya Pradesh State Load Dispatch Centre (MPSLDC), where he is currently chief engineer. He is responsible for managing grid activities, ensuring reliable operations of the interconnected power system, undertaking energy accounting, forecasting and scheduling of renewable energy, and managing short-term open access.
Bende feels that while power generation has been quite satisfactory over the past few years, maintaining affordable power prices is a concern. The short-term power market lacks maturity and discoms therefore have to sign long-term PPAs to meet their power demand, he says. “The discoms tie up power for periods of maximum demand and are compelled to pay fixed charges for power even when demand is low, such as during the monsoon season.”
One of the key challenges facing Madhya Pradesh’s power sector pertains to renewable integration, Bende notes. Over the past year, renewable energy penetration into the state grid has risen exponentially, he says. “Although our system operators are well prepared, there is a need to undertake forecasting and scheduling of renewable generation in order to address the issue of intermittency of supply.”
Bende recalls the implementation of automatic demand management schemes (ADMS) at MPSLDC as his most memorable assignment. MPSLDC was the first SLDC to implement ADMS, through multiple SCADA systems, integrating two SCADA systems (MPPTCL and SLDC). In case of overdrawal from the grid, the ADMS trips the 33 kV supply feeders and restores the tripped feeders once the situation is relieved.
Bende has a degree in electronics and telecommunication engineering from the University of Jabalpur. On the personal front, he says he enjoys going for a jog and reading. Dan Brown, Paulo Coelho, Ken Follett and Premchand are some of his favourite authors. Bende also enjoys cooking and finds time to do social work.