Gurgaon: Haryana has secured an ‘A’ grade with 88.5 out of 100 marks in the first national regulatory performance rankings released by the Power Foundation of India in collaboration with REC Limited. The state has been ranked eighth nationally, placing it among top-performing states in the ‘A’ category, including Punjab, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Assam and Madhya Pradesh.Officials said Haryana’s strong performance was driven largely by improvements in power supply reliability. The state scored a full 32 out of 32 in resource adequacy, reflecting long-term planning, notified regulations and clearly defined reserve margins for power procurement. Approval of three-year capital expenditure plans for the state transmission utility and distribution companies, along with penalty provisions for delays, contributed to the score. “This score represents a marked improvement from earlier years when reliability and planning standards were areas of concern”, an official said.Haryana also received full marks in regulatory governance, securing five out of five. Transparent procedures for appointments and structured classification of posts into groups A, B, C and D strengthened administrative and institutional functioning.The financial performance of the state’s distribution companies also improved. The state scored 23.5 out of 25 in this category, supported by the timely issuance of tariff orders for 2025–26 and the timely completion of the truing-up process for 2023–24. Officials noted that no regulatory assets were created during the latest truing-up cycle. The introduction of a mechanism to adjust surcharges for monthly fuel and power purchase costs helped manage costs and reduce financial pressure, officials added.In the ease of doing business category, Haryana scored 16 out of 23. The state fixed timelines for new electricity connections—three days in metro areas, seven days in municipal zones and 15 days in rural areas—with compensation for delays. Processes for meter testing, replacement and net metering were also streamlined. “These reforms reflect improvements over past years when consumer service timelines were less consistent”, the official said.Haryana scored 12 out of 15 in the energy transition segment. Measures included implementation of Green Energy Open Access, exemptions from certain surcharges for green hydrogen, green ammonia and waste-to-energy projects, and approval of a renewable purchase obligation trajectory up to 2029–30, along with penalties for non-compliance.Chairman of Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission Nand Lal Sharma said the ‘A’ grade reflected coordinated efforts by the state govt, the regulator and power utilities. He said the performance showed progress in transparent regulation, financial discipline and consumer-focused reforms.Sharma added that the commission would continue working to strengthen distribution company finances, promote renewable energy and enhance ease of doing business in the sector. He said the focus would be to ensure affordable, reliable and sustainable electricity while building a transparent and accountable power system.
