India has announced plans to develop homegrown control systems and equipment for critical power infrastructure, including the national grid, to end reliance on foreign technology and bolster energy security. According to reports from NDTV, the Central Electricity Authority has laid out a roadmap to fully localize the production of systems that enable real-time monitoring and control of the electricity network. The initiative is part of New Delhi's broader self-reliance push aimed at standardizing equipment, lowering costs and making upgrades easier. The efforts are part of India's broader self-reliance push aimed at standardizing equipment, lowering costs and making upgrades easier.
India plans to end imports of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems for the power sector beyond 2030, as the government pushes to build domestic technology for one of the most critical layers of the electricity grid. As reported by Business Standard, a recent Central Electricity Authority (CEA) report has proposed a three-year roadmap to develop indigenous SCADA systems by 2028-29, giving the country time to test and deploy them before the import deadline. The move is aimed at reducing dependence on foreign technology while strengthening cybersecurity, energy security and the resilience of India's power infrastructure.
The CEA-constituted committee on SCADA indigenisation has proposed a phased development programme for 2026-27 to 2028-29, covering the localisation of both software and hardware components. The roadmap breaks SCADA indigenisation into software and hardware development, with the more basic systems to be developed and tested before advanced functions are introduced. As reported by Business Standard, the plan includes 38 software modules covering different functions needed to monitor and manage the power grid, 25 hardware components including servers, workstations and storage systems, and development of core SCADA and communication systems from 2026-27 onwards. The committee found that 36 of the 38 software modules could be developed in the short term, although real-time testing and validation through digital twins and parallel operation at State Load Despatch Centres would remain key challenges.
The hardware development timeline shows significant progress with 16 of the 25 identified hardware components expected to be ready within two years. As reported by The Economic Times, these include equipment such as servers, routers, switches, storage systems, cybersecurity appliances, workstations and other control-centre infrastructure. For telecom and general IT networking equipment, the power sector will follow the indigenisation trajectory laid down by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Department of Telecommunications under their respective Make in India frameworks. The committee recommended establishing a testing platform within two years, with government funding, to simulate operating conditions and validate cybersecurity requirements.
The power ministry had earlier mandated that SCADA systems have at least a half of locally made content, although the actual contribution of domestic software and hardware is just around 20%, according to the report from NDTV. This significant gap between policy requirements and actual domestic content highlights the challenge in achieving complete self-reliance in power control systems. The CEA has flagged this dependence as a potential risk because foreign technology can create vulnerabilities around software updates, cybersecurity support, supply chains and access to proprietary systems. The committee's mandate goes beyond meeting minimum local-content thresholds, recommending a phased approach aimed at eventually eliminating import dependence and ensuring that SCADA systems are available from Indian entities. The report noted that software accounts for about 25% of the cost of a SCADA system, while hardware accounts for the remaining 75%, making the localisation of equipment a more gradual and challenging process.
The committee has proposed setting up a National SCADA Mission or a dedicated working group under the Ministry of Power to drive the indigenisation programme. Development could involve a government entity or PSU with relevant expertise, or a consortium bringing together organisations such as Power Grid Corporation of India, Grid-India and domestic technology companies. The report also recommends government-backed testing and pilot projects at load dispatch centres so that indigenous systems can be validated under real operating conditions before wider deployment. Government financial support will be necessary, with the Power System Development Fund (PSDF) identified as a possible source for development and integration costs. The CEA committee has said India has the technical capability to complete the indigenisation programme within this timeframe, although funding, testing infrastructure and institutional support will be essential.
