Haryana discoms seek review of licence awarded to Eleven Power

Haryana's two state-owned power distribution companies, DHBVN and UHBVN, have jointly filed a review petition before the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC), seeking reconsideration of its October 19 order that granted a 25-year parallel electricity distribution licence to Eleven Power Private Limited for Gurugram and Nuh.

The petition, filed on 3 November, argues that HERC relied on investment estimates submitted by the private company instead of conducting an independent assessment, and raises questions about the applicant's financial capacity, beneficial ownership of shares, and the technical experience of its consortium partners. The original order had triggered a three-day strike by power department unions in October, leading to widespread blackouts, which ended after Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini assured employees that private players would not enter the sector. The government subsequently directed HERC under Section 108(1) of the Electricity Act, 2003, not to operationalise any parallel distribution licence. HERC stalled further proceedings on 28 October but did not revoke the original grant. The review petition seeks to address the original order before it can become operative again if the government directives are withdrawn. Eleven Power has said it will pursue legal remedies against the stalling.