Rajiv Kumar Porwal has been serving as Director (System Operation) at Grid-India since July 2023. With over three decades of experience in the power sector, he has played a key role in shaping India’s power system operations.
Before joining the board of Grid-India, he served as executive director at the northern regional load despatch centre, where he contributed to grid operations, market development and system planning. Over the years, he has been associated with several key initiatives, including the development of power exchanges, transfer capability assessment and point of connection-based transmission pricing, besides contributing to policy frameworks including transmission planning criteria and Grid Code 2023.
In his current role, Porwal oversees secure and reliable national grid operations, while supporting renewable energy integration, system resilience and market-based reforms.
According to him, India’s power sector is undergoing a major transformation. The expansion of green energy corridors and the adoption of interstate transmission systems, high-voltage direct current and static synchronous compensator technologies have strengthened grid reliability and enabled large-scale renewable integration. Meanwhile, reforms such as security constrained economic despatch, ancillary services and green open access have improved operational efficiency and market flexibility.
However, he believes that despite this progress, integrating large-scale renewable energy while maintaining grid security remains a key challenge. Rising renewable penetration, electric mobility and distributed energy resources are increasing operational complexity, making energy storage, demand response mechanisms and fast-ramping generation increasingly important.
Among the most fulfilling experiences in his career has been his involvement in reforms such as the availability-based tariff and open access framework. He has contributed to the synchronisation of regional grids under the “One Nation, One Grid, One Frequency” initiative, in addition to working on regional energy accounting, deployment of phasor measurement units, etc.
Porwal describes his management style as collaborative, transparent and outcome-oriented. He holds a degree in electrical engineering from Madan Mohan Malaviya Engineering College, Gorakhpur and a master’s degree in power electronics, electrical machines and drives from IIT Delhi.