The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has issued an advisory to all stakeholders to adopt the latest CEA standards while planning new transmission lines in forest areas, with a view to reducing the right-of-way (RoW) requirement.
In its advisory dated July 30, 2026, CEA has requested all stakeholders concerned to take necessary steps to ensure the adoption in compliance with the revised Right of Way (RoW) requirements for all applicable transmission line configurations prescribed under Schedule VII of the Central Electricity Authority (Technical Standards for Construction of Electrical Plants and Electric Lines) Amendment Regulations, 2025, while planning and executing transmission line projects in forest areas.
CEA’s advisory comes close on the heels of guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MoEFCC) on July 3, 2026, referring to the new RoW requirements for construction of transmission lines in forest areas for the new configuration of towers and conductors as prescribed in the Schedule VII of the Central Electricity Authority (Technical Standards for Construction of Electrical Plants and Electric Lines) Amendment Regulations, 2025, notified by Gazette on October 9, 2025. (Link provided at the end of this story)
MoEFCC, in its guidelines, has also encouraged all stakeholders to adopt and go for new technological innovations, to harness the obvious benefits of reduced RoW requirement in forest areas.
Background
Here is a brief chronology of recent initiatives by Central Electricity Authority (CEA), towards formulating standards in order to achieve lower RoW requirement for forest area-based transmission lines.
- Schedule VII of Regulation 84(4) of Central Electricity Authority (Technical Standards for Construction of Electrical Plants and Electric Lines) Regulations, 2022 stipulates RoW requirements of ACSR conductors employed at various voltage levels on lattice structures. These standards were notified by Gazette on December 27, 2022.
- CEA brought out a report in September 2024 regarding reduction of RoW width through various technological options such as lattice tower with HTLS conductor, monopole tower with ACSR/HTLS conductor.
- The recommendations of the aforementioned report were subsequently incorporated in CEA regulations (discussed in #1 above) by amending the same after stakeholder consultations. These regulations [Central Electricity Authority (Technical Standards for Construction of Electrical Plants and Electric Lines) Amendment Regulations, 2025] were notified vide Gazette notification dated October 9, 2025.
- On July 8, 2026, CEA issued a letter to all stakeholders concerned stakeholders, for adoption of the amended RoW requirements notified under the Central Electricity Authority (Technical Standards for Construction of Electrical Plants and Electric Lines) Amendment Regulations, 2025, referred to in #3 above.
The Gazette notification dated October 9, 2025 discussed in this story may be viewed here. (Source: Central Electricity Authority)
Featured photograph (source: PGCIL) is for representation only