Indian Power Sector:- Summary Of Evolution

Pre-Independence Era:-

1879:- First demonstration of an electric light in Calcutta.

1897:- Kilburn & Co secured the Calcutta electric lighting license as agents of the Indian Electric Co. A month later, the company was renamed the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation.

1882:- Mumbai saw electric lighting demonstration for the first time at Crawford Market.

1887:- Indian Electricity Act 1887 was enacted for the protection of person and property from injury and risks, attendant to the supply and user of electricity for lighting and other purposes.

1897:- The first hydroelectric installation in India was installed near a tea estate in Darjeeling.

1903:- Indian Electricity Act 1903 was the first attempt to regulate the electricity sector broadly in the country. But, this act was ambiguous, as it did not recognize bulk sale of electricity and also jurisdictions of local government and Government of India were not clearly demarcated.

1905:- Bombay Electric Supply & Tramways Company (BEST) set up a generating station in 1905 to provide electricity for the tramway. The first electric street light in Asia was lit in 1905 in Bangalore.

1910:- Indian Electricity Act 1910 gave the power of licensing to local governments and moreover, issuing of license for bulk supply was introduced. See more