Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning applications will be central to transforming India’s power distribution sector, Power Minister Manohar Lal said, outlining a push to deploy data-driven technologies across distribution companies to improve efficiency, reliability and consumer engagement.
Addressing a two-day national conference on AI and ML applications in power distribution at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi recently, the Minister said technologies such as smart meter analytics, digital twins, predictive maintenance, theft-detection intelligence, appliance-level consumption insights, automated outage prediction and Generative AI-based decision support systems can significantly enhance both consumer experience and operational performance.
He said technology deployment must be accompanied by active consumer engagement, warning that misinformation around new systems often slows adoption. The Minister urged distribution companies to work closely with industry innovators, academia, technology providers and state governments to build trust and accelerate the transition to smarter distribution networks.
Power Secretary Pankaj Agarwal said the Ministry of Power is focused on deepening digitalisation across distribution companies and scaling AI and ML-based solutions that deliver measurable financial and operational improvements. He stressed the importance of capacity building, secure data-sharing frameworks and interoperability to enable nationwide adoption of the innovations showcased.
