Union Energy Ministe Manohar Lal appriciated the suggestion of Haryana Energy Minister Anil Vij to set up solar houses in villages to ensure daytime electricity supply for farmers and said that the Union Power Ministry will move ahead on this suggestion. Sh. Vij said that the state government is continuously working to promote solar energy in Haryana so the state becomes self-reliant in the electricity sector. He said the Energy Department will soon run a pilot project for the installation of solar houses, and if successful, it will be expanded to other regions of the state.
Vij was addressing senior officers from the Central Government and the states of Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan during the Regional Power Ministers’ Conference (Northern Region), chaired by Union Power Minister Sh. Manohar Lal.
Vij explained that the state government is making continuous efforts to promote solar energy so that Haryana becomes self-sufficient in electricity. He directed the Department of New and Renewable Energy to construct solar houses in villages to ensure daytime electricity supply to farmers, enabling them to irrigate their fields and meet their power needs without depending on other sources.
He mentioned that work is already underway on a pilot project and, if successful, it will be expanded further. While currently 10 kW solar panels are installed in homes, for higher capacity needs, dedicated solar houses are more feasible. Farmers require reliable power supply for their fields, regardless of the source—be it solar, Bhakra, or central pool. Therefore, a comprehensive solar project should be implemented to benefit all stakeholders.
*Policy for infrastructure over fields and homes*
Vij also proposed a policy to regulate the installation of poles, substations, and transmission lines over agricultural fields and residential areas to prevent inconvenience to stakeholders. He suggested underground cabling in densely populated or sensitive areas and emphasized the need for a technical feasibility study. Safety standards must also be established to prevent future issues. He noted that Haryana’s transmission system ranks among the best in the country.
He suggested that the Union Ministry of Power formulate policies/standards to ensure that the transmission system remains functional during disasters like floods and storms. This includes specifications for the installation of poles and substations to ensure uninterrupted power during emergencies. He emphasized that providing electricity during crises should be a key objective. He also urged faster setup of nuclear power plants.
*National cyber security policy to safeguard the power sector from cyber-attacks*
Vij called for a national cyber security policy to safeguard the power sector from cyber-attacks. He recommended state-level audits and central monitoring. Additional Chief Secretary of Haryana’s Energy Department, Sh. Apoorva Kumar Singh said that during the May 2025 conflict with Pakistan, web portals of UHBVN and DHBVN companies were targeted by hackers. In response, Web Application Firewalls have been installed, and all web applications are undergoing security audits by empaneled agencies. Additionally, a disaster recovery center is being developed to ensure service continuity.
*Ultra-Supercritical Power Units in Hisar and Panipat*
Vij said that Haryana’s installed contractual capacity is 16,130.07 MW, with 2,582.40 MW generated by the state itself. Renewable energy contributes 6,018.15 MW, or 37.31%. Plans are in place to increase capacity to 22,222 MW by FY 2031-32. Projects totaling 3,152.21 MW have been approved by HERC, and proposals for an additional 2,940 MW are under consideration. Work has begun on an 800 MW unit in Yamunanagar, expected to be completed by February 2029. Similarly, expansion units of 800 MW each are being planned for the Rajiv Gandhi Thermal Power Plant in Hisar and the Panipat Thermal Power Station.
*Transmission Infrastructure Development*
Work is progressing on 41 new substations, 3,570.721 circuit kilometers of transmission lines, and expansion of 178 existing substations by the Haryana Power Transmission Corporation Limited, at an estimated cost of approximately Rs. 58,546.41 million, to be completed by FY 2029-30. The transmission plan for the control period 2025–2029 has been approved under HERC’s MYT regulations 2024.
Approval for various schemes
Vij urged the Union Power Minister to approve viability gap funding for a 600 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Haryana. He also requested early approval of Rs.3,179.47 crore proposals under the revised distribution sector scheme (RDSS) to strengthen distribution systems in Sonepat and Jhajjar. Additionally, he sought early approval for Rs.142 crore pending proposals for 33 kV substation augmentation under the LRP plan.
He also requested the release of Rs.1,809.35 crore interest-free loans for transmission infrastructure development from the Rs.1.5 lakh crore national budget allocation for FY 2025–26. Furthermore, he proposed a PSDP grant of Rs.366 crore for upgrading 26 transmission lines in HVPNL using high-temperature low-sag (HTLS) conductors.
*Cyber security and operational efficiency*
Additional Chief Secretary Apoorva Kumar Singh stated that HPGCL has been included in the Cyber Swachhta Kendra as per CERT-Thermal guidelines, and its Cyber Crisis Management Plan (CCMP) was approved by CERT-In and implemented in February 2022. The cyber security audit of HPGCL’s IT infrastructure was done by ISMO Haryana in 2023 and evaluated again in June 2024. Haryana DISCOMs are also improving operational efficiency and streamlining tariffs to ensure financial viability. AT&C losses have dropped below 10%, reaching 9.97% in FY 2024–25.
*Commitment to national energy initiatives*
Haryana assured full cooperation to the Central Government in implementing various initiatives, including the Green Energy Corridor, nuclear power plants, solar energy, islanding schemes, emergency restoration systems, smart/prepaid metering systems, tariff reforms, EV charging infrastructure and the One Nation-One Grid vision.
The conference was attended by Union Power Ministry Secretary Pankaj Agarwal, Additional Chief Secretary Apoorva Kumar Singh, Energy Ministers and senior officials from J&K, Uttarakhand, UP, Delhi, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, as well as MDs of UHBVN and DHBVN and MD of Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigum Ltd., Smt. Ashima Barar.
