The Goa Government has firmly opposed Tata Power Company Ltd's move to enter the state's power distribution sector, with Power Minister Sudin Dhavalikar asserting that the company will not be allowed to distribute electricity in Goa. Dhavalikar's statement comes after Tata Power formally applied to the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) for a distribution licence covering the entire State.
If approved following the statutory regulatory process, the application could pave the way for private participation in Goa's electricity distribution sector, which is currently managed solely by the Goa Electricity Department (GED). The Minister said Goa has built one of the country's best power distribution networks through significant public investment and maintained that there is no need to hand over electricity distribution to a private operator.
He also appealed to municipalities and village panchayats not to issue No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to Tata Power. According to Dhavalikar, the company approached local bodies without first obtaining the State Government's approval, a move he described as improper. Tata Power's application is currently under scrutiny by the JERC.
In an interim order issued on June 4, the Commission noted deficiencies in the company's compliance with Regulation 3.7 of the JERC Transmission and Distribution Licensing Regulations, 2020, and directed Tata Power to submit a compliance affidavit by August 4 before the application can proceed further. As part of the licensing process, Tata Power has written to several village panchayats, including Cana-Benaulim, seeking their consent as required under JERC regulations.
The move reportedly surprised officials of the Goa Electricity Department, who said they had not received any formal communication from the Commission regarding the application. Senior officials in the department have expressed reservations over the proposal, arguing that the government has invested heavily in upgrading Goa's transmission and distribution infrastructure in recent years.
They contend that introducing private distribution at this stage could undermine those investments. If the application advances, it will be subject to the statutory licensing process, including public hearings and regulatory approvals. A final decision by the JERC will determine whether Tata Power is granted a distribution licence for the State.
