Pramod Singh, president, India Power Corporation Limited, brings to the table 28 years of experience in the power and infrastructure sector, in areas such as corporate strategy, business development, policy and regulatory affairs, sales and techno-commercial management.
Singh has witnessed, and been closely associated with, many of the changes that have taken place in the power sector through its evolution from a power-deficit situation to power surplus and the development of a robust transmission system, resulting in a one India-one grid-one frequency system. “We are now aiming for one merit order, a more demystified power market, well-entrenched energy efficiency initiatives, increased private participation across the value chain, and greater ease of doing business,” he says.
Some recent milestones he notes, are renewable capacity crossing 100 GW, thereby making credible progress towards India’s climate change commitments, and total demand exceeding 200 GW. “There are structural changes under way on both the demand and supply side amidst the ongoing energy transition,” he notes. “Electrification of automobiles, increased prosumerisation, changing supply and consumption patterns, flexibilisation, decentralised generation, etc. are emerging trends. The speed of change will be influenced by how fast and how far the cost and performance of renewables and hydrogen as a molecule advance along with the related ecosystem as compared to conventional energy; how much energy storage costs decline and where electric vehicle costs and performance intersect with internal combustion engine vehicles.”
“The main challenge lies in making distribution more efficient and profitable, and through timely payments, ensuring adequate capital servicing for operating assets as well as new investments across the value chain,” he says. Some heavy lifting is needed in terms of performance improvement, loss reduction, and better quality supply and customer service. It also requires financial de-risking through cost-reflective tariffs, regulatory asset treatment, subsidy management, etc.
Singh is an engineering and management professional. He likes to spend time with his family, which comprises his wife, a working professional, and their two college-going daughters. He has a keen interest in music, reading, and sports and grew up playing cricket and tennis. He also writes poetry and hopes to publish a compilation of his poems.
