Leadership Continuity at SJVN
In a significant leadership development in India’s public-sector power landscape, the Ministry of Power has extended the additional charge of Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of SJVN Limited to Bhupender Gupta for another six months, effective from 1 August 2026.
The arrangement will continue for six months, or until a regular incumbent assumes charge or further orders are issued, whichever occurs first. SJVN’s official corporate-announcements page lists the extension, while the company’s current Board of Directors page identifies Gupta as CMD.
Importantly, Gupta is simultaneously the CMD of NHPC Limited. He has held additional charge of SJVN since 1 May 2025 and assumed charge as NHPC CMD on 4 September 2025.
The extension therefore represents more than an administrative continuation. It keeps an experienced power-sector executive at the helm of SJVN at a time when the company is managing a diversified portfolio spanning hydropower, solar, thermal power, transmission and other energy businesses.
More Than Three Decades in the Power Sector
Gupta brings more than 34 years of professional experience, including over three decades across central public-sector enterprises in the power industry.
An electrical engineering graduate with an MBA in Operations Management, he began his professional career with ACC Limited in 1991 before joining SJVN in 1995.
His early years at SJVN placed him close to one of India’s most important hydroelectric assets—the 1,500 MW Nathpa Jhakri Hydro Power Station.
There, Gupta worked on the planning, erection, commissioning, operation and maintenance of electromechanical equipment. He subsequently served on deputation in Bhutan between 2002 and 2005, contributing to the 1,020 MW Tala Hydroelectric Power Project.
These assignments provided him with extensive exposure to the engineering and operational complexities of large-scale hydropower infrastructure.
From Project Engineering to Power-Sector Leadership
Gupta’s career subsequently expanded beyond generation.
He joined REC Limited in March 2007, where he was associated with financing hydro and thermal projects. He later served in senior roles at REC Transmission Projects Company Limited and REC Power Distribution Company Limited, overseeing project execution, contract management and consultancy across India.
His professional journey later took him back into major infrastructure execution.
In December 2020, Gupta joined the Punatsangchhu Hydroelectric Project Authority in Bhutan as Director (Technical) on deputation. In June 2023, he became Director (Technical) of THDC India Limited.
At THDCIL, he provided leadership around major commissioning challenges, including the 660 MW Unit-I of the Khurja Super Thermal Power Project and the first two 250 MW units of the Tehri Pumped Storage Plant.
His career therefore spans practically the entire electricity value chain—from hydro and thermal generation to renewables, transmission, distribution, project financing and large infrastructure execution.
SJVN Records Major Operational Milestones
Gupta’s extended tenure comes at an important point in SJVN’s growth trajectory.
During FY 2025–26, SJVN and its associate companies added 1,730 MW of installed capacity and achieved their highest-ever annual generation of 13,302.390 million units.
The company’s flagship 1,500 MW Nathpa Jhakri Hydro Power Station crossed the landmark of 150 billion units of cumulative electricity generation since commissioning and achieved a plant availability factor of 96.84%.
Meanwhile, the 412 MW Rampur Hydro Power Station recorded its highest-ever annual generation of approximately 2,108 million units.
These numbers underline the scale of the operational platform Gupta continues to oversee.
Revenue Climbs to ₹4,722.81 Crore
SJVN also reported significant financial growth during FY 2025–26.
On a consolidated basis, the company’s total revenue increased to ₹4,722.81 crore, compared with ₹3,376.50 crore in the previous year.
Consolidated Profit Before Tax increased to ₹1,200.63 crore, while consolidated Profit After Tax stood at ₹641.85 crore.
The company also approved a total dividend of ₹1.50 per equity share for FY 2025–26, including interim and final dividends.
For a public-sector energy company simultaneously investing in major new projects, these numbers provide an important backdrop to the leadership extension.
Solar, Hydro and Thermal: Building a Diversified Energy Portfolio
SJVN’s transformation is increasingly visible in the diversification of its generation portfolio.
The 1,000 MW Bikaner Solar Power Project achieved full-capacity commercial operation during FY 2025–26 and crossed one billion units of cumulative generation within a relatively short period.
The 70 MW Dhubri Solar Power Project in Assam was also commissioned.
At the same time, SJVN entered large-scale thermal generation with the commercial operation of 660 MW Unit-I of the 1,320 MW Buxar Thermal Power Project.
SJVN has since added further capacity, and the company reported an operational portfolio of 4,271.50 MW following commissioning of the 75 MW Jamui Solar Power Project in Bihar.
The emerging SJVN story is therefore no longer confined to hydropower. It is becoming a diversified power-generation narrative encompassing hydro, solar and thermal assets, alongside projects under development.
Major Hydro Projects Remain in Focus
Hydropower nevertheless remains fundamental to SJVN’s identity.
Among its major projects under development is the 900 MW Arun-3 Hydro Electric Project in Nepal, which recorded progress across civil, hydro-mechanical, electro-mechanical and transmission works during FY 2025–26.
Construction also progressed at the 382 MW Sunni Dam, 210 MW Luhri Stage-I and 69.50 MW Dhaulasidh Hydro Electric Project.
The projects demonstrate the infrastructure scale associated with SJVN’s expansion—and why continuity at the senior leadership level can be significant during periods of intensive project execution.
The Next Frontier: AI, Storage, Green Hydrogen and the Grid
Gupta’s stated priorities also extend beyond conventional electricity generation.
His areas of focus include artificial intelligence, EV-grid integration, cybersecurity and digital protection, green hydrogen, bioenergy and energy storage, alongside the broader objective of meeting India’s rising electricity demand through greater deployment of non-fossil-fuel resources.
That combination is noteworthy.
The future of a power utility is increasingly being shaped not simply by how much electricity it generates, but by how intelligently energy is produced, stored, transmitted and integrated into a rapidly changing grid.
Technologies such as storage, AI-enabled management and EV-grid integration could therefore become increasingly relevant to the next phase of PSU transformation.
Supporting India’s 500 GW Clean-Energy Ambition
At SJVN’s recent Annual General Meeting, Gupta reaffirmed the company’s commitment to supporting India’s national objective of achieving 500 GW of non-fossil-fuel capacity by 2030 and the longer-term goal of Net Zero emissions by 2070.
For SJVN, that ambition must coexist with the realities of rising electricity demand, large infrastructure requirements and the need for dependable generation.
This makes the company’s evolving mix of hydropower, solar power, thermal generation and emerging energy technologies strategically significant.
Powering the Next Chapter
Bhupender Gupta’s six-month extension provides continuity at the top of SJVN during a period characterised by record generation, new capacity, major projects and diversification of the company’s energy portfolio.
His career—from Nathpa Jhakri and Bhutan’s Tala project to REC, THDCIL, NHPC and SJVN—also reflects the breadth of experience increasingly required to lead India’s large public-sector energy enterprises.
For SJVN, the next chapter will ultimately be measured not merely by installed megawatts, but by its ability to deliver projects efficiently, strengthen energy security and participate meaningfully in India’s transition toward a cleaner and more technologically sophisticated power system.
Leadership continuity meets energy transition as SJVN seeks to turn decades of hydropower expertise into a diversified, future-ready energy portfolio.