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Hindustan Power is applying in-house AI and document automation to a physical coal-delivery route, while its director argues that a grid with more rooftop solar, batteries and electric vehicles will also need software to coordinate many two-way connections. Those are related ideas, but they are not the same project: the coal system is described as operational, while the grid thesis is a future-facing argument—not a deployed Hindustan Power grid platform.
What Hindustan Power means by treating energy as a software problem
Hindustan Power is an Indian independent power producer with renewable energy, transitional power generation and mining operations. The company identifies Ratul Puri as its chairman. Its software story, as described by Director Arman Puri in an ETCIO interview, is about applying digital tools to operational bottlenecks in energy production and delivery—not about turning the company into a software vendor.
The clearest example is a coal supply route between a mine in Chhattisgarh and a thermal power plant in Madhya Pradesh. ETCIO describes the trip as roughly 200 kilometres and taking seven to eight hours. The company’s reported system uses three in-house AI models, plus optical character recognition (OCR), to monitor coal movement and reduce paperwork.
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The details below are reported in ETCIO’s 2026 interview with Arman Puri; they are not independently audited technical specifications.
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1. Check cargo seals by smartphone
A smartphone-based model checks the tamper-proof seals on a truck’s cargo. The purpose is to help verify that the load remains secure during transit.
2. Monitor trucks, including when connectivity drops
An on-truck camera and edge device look for intrusions or unauthorized vehicles. ETCIO says the system can continue operating during periods without network connectivity, an important feature on a long route where a live connection cannot be assumed.
3. Analyze a coal sample for calorific value
A robotic system analyzes a randomly selected 70-kilogram coal sample from each truck to determine its gross calorific value. That measurement helps characterize the energy content of the fuel delivered to the plant.
4. Turn truck documents into SAP records
Custom OCR reads around 30 documents per truck, validates the extracted information and posts a goods receipt note to SAP. Automating this administrative handoff connects the physical delivery to the plant’s business records, rather than leaving staff to re-enter paperwork manually.
What the reported automation changes—and what is verified
In the ETCIO interview, Arman Puri said the workflow eliminated more than 1,000 hours of manual data entry each month and roughly 50,000 pages of paperwork. These are figures reported by Puri, not independently verified performance measurements in the sources available here.
The figures illustrate the kind of work automation can target: repeated checks, data capture and record transfer attached to a physical process. They should not be read as a general benchmark for AI in power generation or as proof that the same savings will occur at another plant.
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Why the company says engineers need to work alongside operations
Puri’s account describes a forward-deployed engineering approach: engineers work with operational teams, learn the actual workflow and build or integrate tools around its specific needs. In this case, that means addressing issues along a truck route, at cargo checks and sampling, and in the paperwork that reaches SAP.
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This is an organizational choice as much as a technology choice. The interview presents it as Hindustan Power’s method for finding and solving operational problems; it does not establish that this staffing model will produce the same results in every energy business.
Why a renewable-heavy grid may need software coordination
Traditional power systems are often described as delivering electricity in one direction: from large generators through the grid to customers. Rooftop solar, batteries and electric vehicles can make that picture more complex. A household or business with solar panels may export electricity; a battery can store or release it; and an EV can add a substantial, time-varying load.
Puri argues that coordinating many such connected assets will require software and data systems to support functions such as coordination, pricing and dispatch. This is a forward-looking view about the needs of a more distributed, two-way grid. It is not a claim that Hindustan Power has already built or deployed a platform to manage those connections.
How the India Energy Stack fits—and what it is not
The Government of India’s Ministry of Power announced the India Energy Stack separately from Hindustan Power’s work. Its June 28, 2025 release described a proposed digital public infrastructure initiative with unique IDs for consumers, assets and transactions; real-time, consent-based data sharing; and open APIs. The ministry also announced plans for a 12-month proof of concept, including a Utility Intelligence Platform pilot with selected utilities. The release describes planned work, not proof that the pilot or broader rollout is complete.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteThe policy initiative and Hindustan Power’s coal-logistics system address different problems. The company’s reported models and OCR process truck movements and records; the India Energy Stack is a government initiative intended to support data exchange and digital coordination across the power sector. The ministry’s release quoted Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar: “There is an urgent need for developing robust Digital Public Infrastructure in the power sector to manage the country’s rising demand, ensure grid stability, and empower consumers.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Project scale provides context for the software story
Hindustan Power’s December 30, 2025 release said it secured nearly 1 GW of solar capacity and more than 0.75 GWh of storage projects during 2025. These are company-reported awards, not a statement that every project was already operating. Solar capacity and storage energy measure different things: MWp describes a solar project’s peak generating capacity, while MWh describes the quantity of energy a storage system can hold or deliver over time.
- 435 MWp solar: A Uttar Pradesh project under a 25-year power purchase agreement, according to the company release.
- 200 MWp solar with more than 250 MWh of battery storage: A combined generation-and-storage project described in the same release.
- 120 MWh standalone storage: A storage project reported without an associated solar-generation capacity in the release.
The company says it commissioned a utility-scale solar plant in 2010, developed a 30 MW solar PV project in 2011, and now focuses on integrated solar and battery storage solutions. These are company-presented historical claims. Its wider portfolio helps explain why software and coordination are relevant themes, but project awards alone do not demonstrate a particular grid software capability.
What the evidence supports
The operational account supports a specific, bounded claim: Hindustan Power says it built AI models and OCR automation for coal transport and associated records. The grid argument is broader and prospective: as distributed generation and storage expand, software could help coordinate a more complex electricity system. The India Energy Stack is a distinct government initiative that aims to enable digital infrastructure for the sector.
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