Govt approves National Smart Grid Mission

NEW DELHI, May 7: Government has approved National Smart Grid Mission (NSGM) for planning, monitoring and implementing policies related to smart (power) grid activities, Parliament was informed today. "Government has approved National Smart Grid Mission (NSGM) - an institutional mechanism for planning, monitoring and implementation of policies and programs related to Smart Grid activities," Power Minister Piyush Goyal said in written reply to the Lok Sabha. According to the minister's reply, the total outlay for NSGM activities for 12th Plan is Rs 980 crore with a budgetary support of Rs 338 crore. NSGM entails implementation of a smart electrical grid based on state-of-the art technology in the fields of automation, communication and IT systems that can monitor and control power flows from points of generation to points of consumption, the minister added. NSGM has three tier structure. At the apex level, NSGM has a Governing Council headed by the Power Minister. The members of the Council are secretary level officers of concerned ministries and departments. The role of the council is to approve all policies and programme for smart grid implementation. At the second level, the NSGM has an Empowered Committee headed by the Secretary (Power). The members of the committee are Joint Secretary level officers of concerned ministries and departments. The role of the Committee is to provide policy input to the Governing Council and approve, monitor, review specific smart grid projects, guidelines/procedures etc. In a supportive role, NSGM has a Technical Committee headed by Chairperson (Central Electricity Authority). The members of this committee are Director level officers of concerned ministries and departments, representatives from industries and academia. The role of Technical Committee is to support the Empowered Committee on technical aspect, standards development, technology selection guidelines etc. For day-to-day operations, NSGM has a NSGM Project Management Unit (NPMU) headed by the Director NPMU. Director NPMU is a member of the Governing Council and Empowered Committee, and Member Secretary of Technical Committee. NPMU is the implementing agency for operationalising the Smart Grid activities in the country under the guidance of Governing Council and Empowered Committee. Grant up to 30 percent of the project cost is available from NSGM budget. For selected components such as training & capacity building, consumer engagement etc, 100 percent grant is available. Corresponding to the NSGM, State Level Mission chaired by the Power Secretary of the State has also been proposed. Support for training & capacity building to State Level Project Monitoring Units (SLPMUs) for smart grid activities is provided by NSGM.