To improve infrastructure planning, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has established draft rules for utilities to make uniform forecasts of power demand.
According to CEA, the forecast should be made for the long and medium term.
The long-term forecast should cover at least the next ten years, while the medium-term forecast should cover more than one year and up to five years.
The proposed standards state that predictions for energy companies should take into account at least three different scenarios, including optimistic, business as usual and pessimistic.
All parties involved in the planning and implementation of electrical energy-intensive projects, including industrial, agricultural, municipal companies, drinking water departments, owners of captive power plants and other bodies, should be consulted during the preparation of the forecast, was recommended.
The recommendations require predictions to be made at the discom/state level or higher, but if sufficiently detailed data is available, zonal, circle, district, substation, and feeder/transformer level predictions should also be tried.
The regulator stated in its rules that these detailed estimates are expected to be more favorable when planning energy infrastructure.
The power regulator is seeking public reactions to the proposed rules by May 11.