India will soon launch a national framework for sharing electricity data to help utilities and startups develop artificial intelligence (AI) tools and applications, Power Secretary Pankaj Agarwal said.

The framework has been finalised after consultations with stakeholders, Agarwal said, adding that the National Data Governance Committee will be headed by the chairman of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA).

The framework will guide power utilities on how to share data and structure datasets, while allowing startups to use the information to develop AI applications. Agarwal said cybersecurity would be a key priority alongside AI adoption, with indigenously developed models retaining control over their code.

Commenting on the Secretary's statement, GNA Energy Managing Director Sanjeev Kumar said India's grid challenges are closely tied to how effectively power sector data is used. GNA Energy owns Vidyut AI, a market analytics and power intelligence platform aligned with the India Energy Stack initiative. Kumar said, "Discoms already sit on a huge amount of smart meter data, but much of it is looked at only in hindsight. AI changes that. AI will not just support the grid but manage it. It lets a discom spot a feeder under stress, or a demand spike on its way, and act within the same hour. That is what modernising distribution really means."

The Power Secretary also said 14 initiatives had been launched to support startups under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS). The application window remains open until March 31.

India and the European Union (EU) are looking to deepen cooperation on carbon markets and the methodologies used under the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which imposes carbon-related costs on certain imports.

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