Anjuli Chandra, member, Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC), brings to the table four decades of experience in the power sector. Her areas of expertise include distribution and transmission network planning, formulating standards, devising regulatory frameworks and load forecasting.
Prior to joining PSERC, Chandra was principal chief engineer at the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), where she was responsible for power survey and load forecasting, power system monitoring, project appraisal and distribution planning and development. She has also served as executive director, tariff and engineering, at the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission. “My experience in distribution and regulation helped me in becoming a member at PSERC. The entire journey has been very fulfilling,” she says.
Chandra has been a member of various task forces and committees constituted by the MoP and the CEA. She was involved in the preparation of the 19th Electrical Power Survey report, the base document for perspective planning for the sector. She has been a part of various Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) committees. She has served as the chairman of BIS’s ET13 committee on meters and as a member of committees on capacitors, transformers, etc. Besides, she has been involved in planning the sub-transmission and distribution systems of Thimpu and Paro cities in Bhutan.
On the introduction of new technologies in distribution, Chandra says, “While issuing tariff orders, the regulators have to cautiously balance costs and benefits with emerging technology solutions. A critical aspect is how soon utilities will be able to recover the costs incurred on new technologies. With regard to the adoption of smart meters, one of the challenges is the shortage of personnel with domain knowledge of distribution engineering, and IT and communication technology. Cybersecurity is another concern since the risk of hacking increases as processes get more integrated.” Preparing a roadmap for the adoption of smart meters is essential.
Chandra is an Indian Engineering Service officer of the 1978 batch. She is an electrical engineer from the Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology and has an MBA from Panjab University. She is also a Bureau of Energy Efficiency-certified energy auditor. In 2012, Chandra received the CBIP Tag Corporation Award in 2006-07 as well as recognition from the National Council of Power Utilities for her contribution to the power sector.