Energetica India Magazine

Q The geopolitical tensions in West Asia have once again highlighted vulnerabilities in global energy supply chains. How has the definition of energy security evolved for countries like India? Alok Kumar: India has set a well-thought-out strategy in this regard, which focuses on increasing the share of electricity in final consumption of energy, greening the electricity through a larger share of renewable energy, and improving the effi - ciency of generation and consumption. These three compo - nents together form a solid foundation for enhancing our en - ergy security. Ankur Sharma: For a long time, energy security in India meant one thing – do we have enough oil and gas coming in? We import most of it, so every time there is tension in West Asia or globally, the shock travels all the way down. And it does not stay in boardrooms; it reaches the household kitch - en, the daily-wage worker, the small restaurant and the road - side eatery running on a single LPG cylinder. That is what has really changed. We have realised that se - curity is not just about securing our imports; it is about not needing them as much in the first place. You can see this shift in what the government is now pushing: electric cook - ing and e-cooktops, PM Surya Ghar, EV and electric-mobil - ity schemes, ethanol blending, even small modular reactors. Different paths, but the same goal: produce more of our own energy at home, and electrify wherever we can. Q India has achieved remarkable growth in renewable en- ergy capacity. However, many experts argue that grid infrastructure has not kept pace. What are the most pressing challenges facing the country’s power distribution ecosystem today? Alok Kumar: Most of the problems we are witnessing today, such as the gap between the need and availability of trans - mission capacity, have been created due to the prolonged ex - tension of the waiver of ISTS transmission charges, which has led to very high demand for transmission capacity in lim - ited RE-rich areas geographically. We need to expand the grid infrastructure based on the optimum planning of all four op - tions together, i.e., generation, transmission, storage and de - mand response. We also need a proper regulatory framework to ensure that this grid transmission infrastructure is put to adequate utilisation. The most pressing challenge in the pow - er distribution segment is restoring the financial viability of the utilities through efficiency improvements and cost-effec - tive tariffs. Timely and cost-effective digitalisation in the op - erations of the utilities is another important challenge. Ankur Sharma: To me, the single biggest challenge is this: we are data-rich but insight-poor. We have deployed millions of smart meters, SCADA systems, sensors, etc., and yet that data sits in silos, with limited cross-departmental data/in - sights exchange. Ask a simple question: are we using gran - ular smart-meter data to actually change how we procure power? Do we really understand how the millions of rooftop solar systems that we are deploying are reshaping demand? In most places, the honest answer is no. This is exactly the gap we work on at Flock. We have built an AI-driven grid-intelligence platform that gives DISCOMs real-time visibility, disaggregates demand right down to the device level, and turns all that scattered smart-meter and A chieving energy security and net-zero goals requires modernising the power ecosystem through technology, resilient infrastructure, and collaborative innovation, said Alok Kumar, DG, All India Discoms Association and Ankur Sharma, Co-founder & CEO, Flock Energy, in a joint interaction with Energetica India. 40 energetica INDIA- Jul-Aug_2026 INTERVIEW Alok Kumar Ankur Sharma DG All India Discoms Association Co-founder & CEO Flock Energy