India’s power sector is building the foundations for a unified data infrastructure. The Ministry of Power has released a draft of the National Electricity Data Sharing Framework, 2026 — a policy document that proposes how electricity-sector data should be catalogued, classified, and shared across organisations, regulators, and sectors.
What Is the Framework?
The Framework is a policy blueprint — not a binding regulation, at least not yet. In Phase 1, adoption is voluntary. Its stated goal is to reduce data fragmentation across India’s power sector by establishing common standards for what data exists, who can access it, and under what conditions it can be shared.
The Ministry of Power is inviting stakeholder feedback until 21 July 2026. Comments can be submitted by email to ursi2desk-mop@gov.in. The full draft is available on the Ministry of Power website.
The NEDC and NEDP
The Framework proposes two core infrastructure elements.
The National Electricity Data Catalogue (NEDC) would be a structured inventory — a master register of what data the electricity sector generates, who holds it, and what it covers. Think of it as a metadata layer: before data can be shared, it needs to be discoverable.
The National Electricity Data Platform (NEDP) would be the exchange mechanism — the technical platform through which registered data is shared, accessed, and consumed by authorised parties.
How Data Gets Classified
The Framework proposes a two-tier classification system:
- Public data — freely accessible without restriction. Aggregate statistics, anonymised datasets, and reference information would typically sit here.
- Access Controlled data — available only to authorised entities under defined conditions. Commercially sensitive or operationally critical data sits in this tier.
This two-tier model is a pragmatic starting point. It avoids the complexity of fine-grained classification while giving the sector a workable structure to build on.
EV Charging Infrastructure: Explicitly in Scope
Section 9(d) of the Framework identifies EV charging infrastructure planning as one of the named inter-sector use cases. This is worth noting. It signals that the Ministry sees EV charging data — station locations, utilisation rates, grid connection data — as part of the national electricity data picture, not a separate sector.
What this could mean in practice: Charge Point Operators (CPOs), distribution companies, and urban planners could eventually share and access standardised charging infrastructure data through a common platform. Better data visibility would support smarter grid planning, more efficient network expansion, and better policy decisions on where charging infrastructure gets deployed.
For CPOs operating at scale, this direction aligns with where interoperability standards are already heading. Open protocols like OCPI already enable data exchange between charging networks — a national data framework would extend that logic to the grid and infrastructure planning layer.
Where This Sits in the Bigger Picture
India’s energy transition is generating enormous volumes of operational data — from solar generation to grid load to EV charging sessions. The challenge has been that this data lives in silos: with DISCOMs, with state regulators, with private operators, with central agencies. The Framework is an attempt to begin connecting those silos.
Voluntary adoption in Phase 1 is realistic. Getting diverse stakeholders onto a common data standard takes time, and regulatory mandates tend to follow demonstrated adoption rather than precede it. The more interesting question is which organisations move early — and what that means for those who do not.
How to Submit Your Comments
The Ministry of Power has invited feedback from all stakeholders. Submissions are open until 21 July 2026 and should be sent to ursi2desk-mop@gov.in.
Read the full draft: National Electricity Data Sharing Framework, 2026 — Ministry of Power (PDF)