The National Load Despatch Centre (NLDC), under Grid Controller of India Limited (Grid-India), has released the NLDC Operating Procedure 2026 to strengthen the secure, reliable and economic operation of India’s power grid. The procedure has been prepared under Clause 28(3) of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) Indian Electricity Grid Code (IEGC) Regulations, 2023.
Issued by CGM (SO) S.C. Dambhare on August 19, 2026, the new procedure incorporates feedback from stakeholders and replaces all earlier operating procedures issued by the NLDC and Regional Load Despatch Centres (RLDCs).
The procedure clearly defines the responsibilities of grid management agencies at national, regional and state levels. NLDC will serve as the apex body, supervising RLDC operations, managing inter-regional and cross-border electricity exchanges, assessing Total Transfer Capability and Available Transfer Capability, and coordinating key market mechanisms such as the Day-Ahead Market, Real-Time Market and Security Constrained Economic Dispatch.
NLDC will also coordinate cyber security, Renewable Energy Certificates and emergency disaster response. RLDCs will be responsible for real-time grid operations, scheduling and dispatch within their regions, monitoring the Inter-State Transmission System and coordinating renewable energy forecasting. State Load Despatch Centres (SLDCs) will manage operations within their respective states and ensure compliance with RLDC directions.
The 2026 procedure introduces a multi-stage operational planning framework covering year-ahead, month-ahead, week-ahead, day-ahead and real-time operations. SLDCs will be required to provide accurate demand forecasts using advanced forecasting tools and weather information, helping system operators prepare for changing demand and increasing renewable energy generation.
Grid security provisions include maintaining system frequency within the IEGC operating band of 49.90 Hz to 50.05 Hz. The procedure strengthens the use of Primary Frequency Control, Secondary Reserve Activation through Automatic Generation Control and Tertiary Reserve Activation.
The document also classifies grid conditions into Normal, Alert, Emergency, Extreme Emergency and Restorative states. It establishes standardized procedures for transmission outages and requires operational clearance from NLDC or RLDC before switching activities.
To reduce the risk of cascading grid failures, the procedure mandates multi-stage Under-Frequency Relay settings, System Protection Schemes and islanding arrangements.
The procedure also introduces detailed requirements for first-time energization of new assets, including submission of technical data and models six months in advance and completion of trial-run certifications.
For system restoration, NLDC has mandated annual updates to regional and state restoration plans. The framework covers bottom-up, top-down and combination restoration strategies. It also prioritizes startup power for nuclear and thermal generating stations, requires weekly testing of auxiliary diesel generators and calls for regular black-start mock drills.
The NLDC Operating Procedure 2026 is expected to provide a more coordinated operational framework as India’s electricity system becomes increasingly complex, renewable-rich and interconnected.
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