CPDL completes one-year in Chandigarh; UT notifies final electricity distribution transfer scheme

Chandigarh: February 3, 2026:  With significant reduction in load shedding the Chandigarh Power Distribution Limited (CPDL) successfully completed one year of operations on 31st of January 2026, demonstrating noteworthy progress in stabilising, modernising, and future-proofing the city’s power distribution network. Following this, UT Administration has notified the final electricity distribution transfer scheme. 
In FY 2025–26 (April–January YTD), the utility reduced load shedding incidents by nearly 86%, bringing outages down from 1,276 to 179. 
The gains were most visible in the peak winter period, with December 2025 recording a 43% decline in SAIFI (System Average Interruption Frequency Index), a key indicator of interruption frequency, and a 53% reduction in SAIDI (System Average Interruption Duration Index), which measures the duration of outages. 
From day one, CPDL prioritized uninterrupted supply through upgrading distribution network. Operations were supported by fault repair teams, coordinated through a 24×7 central command centre to enable real-time monitoring and faster restoration. To meet rising demand, CPDL undertook focused asset addition during the year including, 80 MVA Power Transformer capacity added through four 20 MVA power trasnformer at IT Park, Industrial Area Phase 1 & 2 and Sector-52. In addition, 52 distribution transformers added 17.02 MVA, installed across divisions to enhance efficiency.  
These upgrades were further reinforced through intensive preventive maintenance, including replacement of weak links, thermo-scanning, partial discharge testing, oil top-ups and systematic tree pruning—moving the network from breakdown-driven response to proactive reliability management. 
Commenting on the milestone, Arun Kumar Verma, Director CPDL, said, “Our first year was about getting the fundamentals right, ensuring continuity, addressing long-standing network stress points, and building systems that improve reliability every day. The sharp reduction in load shedding, stronger network performance, expansion of digital consumer services, workforce empowerment, and active promotion of sustainable energy are tangible outcomes of this integrated, data-led approach”. 
Special emphasis was made on strengthening customer services by introducing a 50-line 24×7 call center to address complaints and queries. CPDL is in the process of launching a mobile app shortly to provide digital access to consumers for all kinds of electricity services including, complaint registration, outage notification, bill payment, duplicate bill, monitoring consumption, etc. The WhatsApp based services were also introduced to lodge a complaint and download a duplicate bill.  
Further, in line with the regulatory directions, CPDL also switched to the most awaited monthly billing from January 2026. In addition, women staff has been hired for frontline field roles spanning meter reading and bill distribution.   
During the year, 6,632 new electricity connections were released, majority of these were provided within three days of payment, significantly improving turnaround times. To facilitate residents new connection camps were organised at doorsteps in different locations in which 1,154 applications were received and connections released immediately. 
Technology adoption was also central to CPDL’s first-year transformation. The rollout of intelligent Outage Management Systems (iOMS), expansion of SCADA operations, and deployment of AI-based photo meter reading enhanced monitoring accuracy and reduced dependence on estimation. The replacement of around 7,000 defective meters led to an approximately 50% reduction in provisional billing, improving billing accuracy. 
“As we look ahead, CPDL will continue to strengthen infrastructure, leverage technology and foster innovation to meet rising demand, support Chandigarh’s urban growth, and enable the city’s energy transition and digitalisation goals.” the Director said. 
Meanwhile, future readiness is being ensured through regular maintenance drives for the forthcoming summer season.