This document discusses challenges in meeting the growing demand for skilled talent in India's power sector. It notes that India's power sector is expanding rapidly but faces persistent energy shortages. Heavy investment is needed across generation, transmission, and distribution. However, there is a shortage of skilled manpower to support the surging growth in the sector. The document outlines strategies used by POWERGRID, the central transmission utility, to attract, develop, and retain talent through training programs, collaboration with academic institutions, and competitive compensation. Overall workforce requirements for engineers, supervisors and other roles are projected to reach over 10 million by 2027 to support ambitious capacity addition targets.

1. Emerging Opportunities in Power Sector-
Challenges of Talent
V.M.Kaul, Director(Personnel),
POWERGRID

2. Power Sector – a snapshot
• Comprises of Generation, Transmission & Distribution
• Present installed capacity is 1,55,000MW
• Persistent energy shortage and peak hour power
shortage
• Central sector is playing a dominant role in Generation
and Transmission
• Electricity Act-2003 envisages competition in the sector,
Open access, Power Trading and private investments
• Heavy investment requirement in all the three sectors
• Shortage of skilled manpower due to surging growth
Per capita annual consumption of Electricity(2007 data)
– India: 470 units
– Brazil: 2110 units
– China: 2200 units
– USA: 13000 units

3. Power Sector Growth- Demand of Power (GW)
Growth:
8% per
522
annum
Growth:
9.8% per
annum 372
Growth:
250
GW
9.8% per
annum
Growth:
10.8% per
168
109 annum
2007 2012 2017 2022 2027
Year
Assuming GDP Growth Rate 9%

4. Installed Capacity Requirement (GW)
Growth:
8% per
annum
685
Growth:
9% per
annum
488
Growth:
9% per
annum 337
GW
Growth: 233
155
10% per
annum
2007 2012 2017 2022 2027
Year
Assuming GDP Growth Rate 9%

5. Growth of inter-regional power transfer capacity
inter-
165000
150000
By 2025
145000 Inter-regional Capacity- 150,000 MW
125000
100000
105000
85000
MW
65000
65000
40000
45000
18000
25000
5000
2007 2012 2017 2022 2027
Year

6. NATIONAL GRID BY 2012
INTER-REGIONAL CAP. >37000 MW
NR
FATEHPUR GORAKHPUR
AURAIYA BALIA
KANKROLI MUZAFFARPUR
RAPP
AGRA PATNA BIRPARA
NER
BARH SILIGURI SALAKATI
KOTA BONGAIGAON
B'SHARIFF
SAHU NABI NAGAR
PURI GAYA
500 MALDA
MALANPUR MW SASARAM
ZERDA
NAGDA
VINDHYACHAL
KORBA
DEHRI
ER
GWALIOR WR POOLING BUDHIPADAR
UJJAIN
SIPAT RANCHI
RAIPUR ROURKELA
WR BALIMELA
TALCHER
CHANDRAPUR
KOLHAPUR 1000
MW
1000
1000 MW
PONDA MW
GAZUWAKA
U.SILERU
NARENDRA
BELGAUM
NAGJHARI
SR

7. Fund Requirement for 12th Plan
Area Fund Requirement
(Rs. Crs.)
Generation 5,00,000
Transmission 2,50,000
Distribution 4,00,000
Total 11,50,000

8. Additional Manpower Requirement
During 11th & 12th Plan (By 31.3.2017)
SN Category Total
1 Engineers 92,000
2 Supervisors 1,72,000
3 Skilled workers 1,38,000
4 Semi-skilled workers 1,49,000
5 Unskilled workers 1,72,000
6 Non-Tech 2,77,000
Total 10,00,000
Norms : 7.4 employees per MW for O&M & const.
in Generation, Transmission & Distribution
Manpower available on 31.03.2007 : 9.5 Lakhs
Source : CBIP

9. Factors Attributing Human Resource Crunch
In the Power Sector
• Continuous surge in demand of power, ambitious growth
targets for capacity addition & network expansion
• Ultra Mega Power Projects along with associated
transmission network coming up - skilled manpower
demand surging up
• Expansion of power market
- With entry of private players
- Challenges created by fast changing technologies
- Diversification of companies in other areas of power sector
• Higher skill set required due to advance technical processes
and automation

10. Factors Attributing Human Resource Crunch
In the Power Sector
• Quality of education & curriculum at most of Industrial
Training Institutes and polytechnics are not upto the mark
for bridging the skill shortage
• Private players attract talent from central & state sector
• Non-availability of professionally trained manpower at
Contractors end
• Talent in HV/EHV/UHV transmission is mainly available in
POWERGRID

11. Factors Attributing Human Resource Crunch
In the Power Sector
• Stagnant supply pool for hiring senior & middle level
positions
• Difficult to pick people from other industries, given the
unique characteristic of the sector
• Work locations in remote terrains/locations not attracting
good professionals

12. Talent War
• The treasure hunt in Talent war fare
– Top business priority
– Shortage of technical and managerial talent
– Organizations with more talented people on their payroll
averaged a 22% annual return to the shareholders versus 13 %
for those without(Birchfield,2003).
– Talent has become the key differentiator
– According to recent study by Deloitte, in India, paradigm shift is
taking place from ‘scarcity of jobs’ to ‘scarcity of talent’
• In power sector “Talent Raiding” / “Talent poaching”
taking place because of short supply of power specific
talent in the talent market.

13. Attracting, Developing and Retaining
Talent- POWERGRID way
• To recruit quality talent from the available pool
_ All India open exam
– Campus recruitment
– established an industry-institute collaboration, “Campus Connect”
– Region/Territory-wise talent hunt through employment
exchanges, educational institutes and walk-in interviews
• Competency enhancement of employees and creation of
employees value through
– Induction training programmes
– Functional role based development (Basic refresher and advance
level training)
– Behavioural development for all employees
– Management training programmes
– Leadership development
– Strategic management Training

14. Attracting, Developing and Retaining
Talent- POWERGRID way
• Collaboration with reputed academic institutions and
professional bodies like IIT, IIM, MDI, AIMA, ASCI, ESCI
etc.for continuous upgradation of our knowledge pool
• Training Strategy aligned to business strategy in order to
boost our endeavours in creating & nurturing world class
learning organisation
• Stakeholders development- Training of employees of
contractors, vendors, State Electricity Boards;
Recruitment of stakeholders employees
• Training Budget can go upto 5 % of salary budget- as per
National Training Policy for Power Sector

15. Human Resource Development in POWERGRID
No. of Personnel Trained(2008-09)
Sl Category No. of personnel
trained
A POWERGRID employees
Executives 2757
Supervisors 1155
Workmen 1306
Sub-Total 5218
B Transmission Sector utilities/ 704
Contractor’s/ Vendor’s personnel
Total 5922
C Executive Trainees 137
Grand Total 6059

16. Human Resource Development in POWERGRID
Leaping ahead…..
Year-wise Growth of Personnel Trained
6000 5922
5000
Personnal Trained
3786
4000
3000 2282 2234
2000 1610
1000
0
2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09
Financial Year

17. Strategies to meet challenges of Talent
• Public Private Partnership for upgradation of existing
educational institutions churning out skilled manpower for
Power sector, establishment of new institutions
• Revamp skill/vocational training Institutions (ITIs, polytechnics
and vocational training in school) and grant them functional
and governance autonomy
• Introduction of specialised courses on Transmission/Sub-
transmission in various power training institutes with industry
partnership
• Greater need to allocate funds for training & emphasis on
business aligned training practices
• Creation of strategic fit between employee value,
compensation (competitive compensation and external
alignment) and career growth

18. Strategies and Action Plan
• Long term education as a strategy for developing talent
• Leveraging Technology/advanced systems to optimise manpower
e.g. Remote operated sub stations, maintenance hubs
• Assess skill deficits sub-sector wise and region wise and meet the
gaps by planned action in a finite time frame
• Establish a ‘Credible accreditation system’ and a ‘guidance
framework’ for all accrediting agencies
• Enable employment exchanges to function as career counseling
centres.
• Establish a ‘National Skill Inventory’’ on a national Web portal—for
exchange of information between employers and employment
seekers.

20. Strategic Human Resource Development in POWERGRID
Effective operation and
Exponential growth in maintenance of Business development and
Capital expenditure for burgeoning fixed asset consultancy
Construction projects base
POWERGRID’s Growth Plan
Environment Integrated
& Social Technology
Management Management, R&D
Corporate
Organizational Business Process
Governance
Culture & Values Reengineering
Project
Strategic HRM Management
Integrated Human
Resource
Development
Restructuring and augmentation of Employee
Critical Skills Gap Analysis and Skill enhancement
Development Centers (EDCs) in regions
Strengthening of HRD Team with resource persons
Establishment of state-of-art Learning Centre at the
from technical discipline
Corporate level
Restructuring/Strengthening Induction Training of
Executive Trainees Managing Organizational Knowledge
Aligning Employee Attitude and Values Hands-on & Simulator training
Knowledge Dissemination through e-learning Stakeholders Training & Development
Global Outreach (Exposure to International Nurturing future leaders, thinking visionaries,
practices) transformational leaders and experts