Gurugram, Oct. 20 -- Electricity consumers in Gurugram and Nuh are set to get a choice of electricity distributor after the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) on Monday granted a 25-year parallel distribution licence to Eleven Power Pvt Ltd for the two revenue districts. The licence, awarded under Section 14 of the Electricity Act, 2003, covers all categories of consumers, including households, farmers, commercial establishments, industrial units and offices. It is the first time that a power distribution licence for Gurugram has been given to a private company . Eleven Power, incorporated in 2025, is part of the Eleven Group, headed by Sunil Sachdeva, the co-founder of hospital chain Medanta - The Medicity. The licence covers five divisions - Gurugram Suburban, Gurugram City, Manesar, Sohna and Nuh. Eleven Power plans to develop its network in phases over five years, with Nuh included in the first phase. The company plans to implement underground cabling across Gurugram district and a combination of underground and overhead networks in Nuh. Supply to consumers is proposed to begin from financial year 2027-28. If and when Eleven Power's network reaches an area, consumers will have the option of taking supply from either the existing distribution licensee or the new licensee. Eleven Power's bid for a licence drew objections from Haryana's power distribution and transmission companies, power engineers, employee unions and public representatives. But in its order, HERC pointed to the pending applications for new electricity connections and load enhancement with existing distribution companies in the region. According to the latest data given to the commission, 20,603 applications involving 770.407 MW were pending with state-owned UHBVNL (Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited) as of September 30, 2025. DHBVNL ( Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam), also state-owned , had 108,590 pending applications involving 1,642.542 MW as of October 1, 2025. The combined pending load stood at 2,412.949 MW, compared with 2,403.862 MW on April 1, 2025. Power demand in Gurugram and Nuh, including Manesar and Sohna, is projected to rise substantially. Eleven Power has proposed sourcing 80% of its electricity from renewable sources and the remaining from thermal sources to meet demand. It has also proposed a capital investment of Rs.4,717 crore between FY2026-27 and FY2030-31, subject to regulatory oversight. Within 60 days, it will submit a detailed implementation plan for the first phase as well as a protocol for consumers who opt for the new distributor. In its objections, DHBVNL said Eleven grossly underestimated the investment required for establishing a network that could serve all consumers in its area without discrimination. HVPN, the transmission utility, in its objections, said Eleven Power's business plan raised serious concerns regarding "cherry-picking" as the company proposes to initially supply consumers near grid substations at 220 kV to 66 kV levels which are, by definition, the highest density industrial and commercial load centres and the most commercially lucrative consumers. The regulator, however, however held that phased infrastructure development was allowed provided the licensee complied with statutory obligations and prescribed rollout timelines. "The present grant of licence is being considered in the context of the statutory framework and the facts and circumstances peculiar to the areas of Gurugram and Nuh," the HERC said. The HERC order, however, clarified that the grant of the parallel distribution licence should not be treated as a precedent or as creating any vested right for future applicants seeking similar licences elsewhere in Haryana. Each application, it said, would be considered independently based on statutory and regulatory requirements and the circumstances of the particular case. "This is a proud day for us and a landmark moment for electricity consumers in Gurugram and Nuh, who will now have a choice of distributor... We will deliver on what we placed before the Commission: reliable supply to all category of consumers, timely new connections, and power drawn predominantly from renewable sources," said Sunil Sachdeva, chairman, Eleven....