Electricity Act, 2003
Architecture and Current Jurisdiction
The Electricity Act, 2003 is the primary legislation governing the electricity sector in India. It unified and replaced three earlier laws — the Indian Electricity Act 1910, the Electricity (Supply) Act 1948, and the Electricity Regulatory Commissions Act 1998. The Act unbundles the electricity sector into generation, transmission, distribution, and trading, and creates a multi-level regulatory architecture: the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) for inter-state matters and State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs) for intra-state matters, both operating under the appellate jurisdiction of the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL).
The Ministry of Power is the nodal ministry for administering the Electricity Act. The Act's provisions on transmission planning (Sections 25-26), grid standards, open access, Renewable Purchase Obligations (Section 86(1)(e)), and the functioning of the CERC and SERCs all fall within the Ministry of Power's domain.
- Electricity Act, 2003: consolidating legislation replacing three earlier laws
- Key regulator: Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) — inter-state tariff, grid codes, open access
- State-level: State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs)
- Appellate body: Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL)
- Section 25, Electricity Act: empowers the Central Government to demarcate regions and administer inter-state transmission — this is the key provision MNRE seeks control over for renewable energy projects
- Section 86(1)(e): RPO — State commissions must mandate obligated entities to procure a minimum percentage of electricity from renewable sources
- Ministry of Power: administers the Electricity Act; governs NTPC, Power Grid Corporation, CERC
● Tracked since March 20, 2026 · last seen May 24, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes