CHANDIGARH: Punjab has emerged as the top performer in the country in the first-ever national ranking of regulatory performance of state electricity regulatory authorities, according to the Rating of Regulatory Performance of States and Union Territories 2025 report released by the Power Foundation of India (PFI) in collaboration with REC Limited.
The Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) secured 97 marks out of 100 to take the top position, followed closely by Karnataka with 96 marks and Maharashtra with 94 marks.
Haryana and Himachal Pradesh were ranked eighth and ninth with 88.50 and 88 marks respectively. All these states were placed in the ‘A’ category.
The Union Territory of Chandigarh stood at the 14th position with 74 marks and was placed in the ‘B’ category. The worst performers were Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Tripura.
The report evaluated regulatory performance across five core pillars: resource adequacy, which assesses long-term power supply reliability; financial viability of DISCOMs; ease of living and doing business; energy transition; and regulatory governance.
The assessment was based on information sourced directly from regulations, tariff orders, true-up orders and other relevant orders issued by states and Union Territories up to March 31, 2025.
A total of 11 states and Union Territories were placed in the ‘A’ category, 10 each in the ‘B’ and ‘C’ categories, four in the ‘D’ category and one in the ‘E’ category.
Punjab’s top ranking was largely attributed to its tariff reduction, which resulted in a revenue surplus of ₹312 crore and led to a 0.65 per cent reduction in electricity tariffs for FY 2025–26. Punjab was among the few states to provide direct relief to consumers, earning maximum points for overall efficiency.
In the category of reliability of power supply (resource adequacy), PSERC scored a perfect 32 out of 32 marks. It also secured full marks in the financial health of DISCOMs category with 25 out of 25, and in ease of living and doing business with 23 out of 23.
In energy transition, it scored 12 out of 15 marks, while it received full marks of 5 out of 5 in regulatory governance.
Haryana, ranked eighth among the 36 states and Union Territories, scored a total of 88.50 marks. It received 32 out of 32 marks for reliability of power supply, 23.5 out of 25 for financial health of DISCOMs, 16 out of 23 for ease of living and doing business, 12 out of 15 for energy transition and 5 out of 5 for regulatory governance.
Himachal Pradesh, placed ninth, scored an overall 88 marks. It secured 30 out of 32 marks in reliability of power supply, 23.5 out of 25 in financial health of DISCOMs, 16 out of 23 in ease of living and doing business, 12 out of 15 in energy transition and 5 out of 5 in regulatory governance.
The Union Territory of Chandigarh, ranked 14th, scored 74 marks overall. It received 28 out of 32 marks in reliability of power supply, 9 out of 25 in financial health of DISCOMs, 17 out of 23 in ease of living and doing business, 12 out of 15 in energy transition and 5 out of 5 in regulatory governance.
At the bottom of the rankings, Jammu and Kashmir was placed 32nd with 49 marks, followed by Uttar Pradesh at the 33rd position with 48 marks, Delhi at 34th with 40.50 marks and Rajasthan at 35th with 39 marks.
All four were placed in the ‘D’ category. Tripura ranked last at 36th position with 21.50 marks and was placed in the ‘E’ category.
The report concluded, “The first report on rating regulatory performance of states and Union Territories represents an important step towards strengthening India’s power sector regulatory ecosystem. As the power sector undergoes rapid transformation driven by increasing renewable energy integration, growing expectations for quality supply, digitalisation and the need for financial discipline, the role of proactive, transparent and forward-looking regulation becomes indispensable.”
It added, “The objective of this exercise is not to rank for competition, but to enable cross-learning, promote adaptation of best practices and encourage the development of a consistent, predictable and consumer-centric regulatory environment across the country. A stronger regulatory framework will directly contribute to improving the performance of DISCOMs, ensuring reliable and affordable power supply, attracting investments and supporting India’s ambition for clean energy and development goals.”