With nearly three decades of experience in the power sector, Basudev Hansdah is currently chief executive officer (CEO) of Maithon Power Limited. Over the years, he has built expertise across commissioning, operations, maintenance and business leadership.
His professional journey began at Steel Authority of India Limited’s Rourkela steel plant, where he gained extensive exposure to captive power plants, distribution systems and multi-unit operations. He later joined NTPC Talcher and managed the operations and maintenance of 67.5 MW and 110 MW units.
Subsequently, he took on key leadership roles within the Tata Power Group. There, he led the commissioning and operation of major assets and executed critical power purchase and statutory agreements. He also served as CEO of Industrial Energy Limited, and chief of Jamshedpur Operations during 2024-25. Hansdah holds three patents to his credit.
Drawing on this experience, Hansdah remains optimistic about the Indian power sector. “Looking ahead, the sector’s trajectory will depend on its ability to balance three priorities – energy security, affordability and sustainability. Renewable energy will continue to drive capacity additions. At the same time, flexible thermal generation will remain essential for managing the variability of renewable output. Nuclear power is also expected to play an important role in strengthening the clean baseload segment,” he notes.
The evolving geopolitical environment has further reinforced the need for a balanced domestic energy mix, supported by renewables and emerging storage technologies. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence, smart grids, automation and advanced forecasting are enhancing system reliability, optimising asset performance and enabling more responsive grid management.
Despite these advances, several structural impediments remain. Grid integration challenges, transmission bottlenecks, the weak financial health of discoms and ageing infrastructure remain key concerns. In addition, rising load volatility is increasing the need for demand-side management, time-of-day tariffs and flexible generation assets.
Hansdah follows a structured and results-oriented management style centred on operational excellence, technical expertise and accountability. An engineering graduate from REC Rourkela, he also holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata.