Harsharan Kaur Trehan Becomes PSPCL’s First Woman Director (Commercial)

Harsharan Kaur Trehan has been appointed as Director (Commercial) of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL). The appointment, issued on 20 February 2026, makes her the first woman technocrat to reach the board level in PSPCL. She assumed charge at the corporation’s headquarters in Patiala for a two-year tenure, marking a significant breakthrough for women leadership in India’s public sector utilities.

Harsharan Kaur Trehan PSPCL Appointment: Key Details

• The Harsharan Kaur Trehan PSPCL appointment was formalised through orders issued by Basant Garg, Secretary (Power), Punjab Government, who also holds additional charge as Chairman-cum-Managing Director of PSPCL.
• She has been appointed Director (Commercial) for two years from the date of joining.
• The order clearly states she will not continue after attaining the age of 65.
• This development comes after the resignation of former Director (Commercial) Hira Lal Goyal in August 2025.
• The additional charge was earlier handled by Inderpal Singh.

A Trailblazer in Punjab’s Power Sector

• Harsharan Kaur Trehan is the first woman technocrat to rise to director level in PSPCL. Earlier, in May 2021, she became the first woman Engineer in Chief in the organization, heading the Material Management wing. She retired in October 2022 but has now returned to serve in a leadership role.

Her career began in 1987 when she joined the erstwhile Punjab State Electricity Board as an Assistant Engineer. Over more than three decades, she handled key assignments in,

• Transmission design
• Substation design
• Hydel design
• Thermal plant operations
• Investment Promotion Cell

Her experience spans both technical and commercial operations.

Key Contributions of Harsharan Kaur Trehan

During her tenure as Deputy Chief Engineer (Regulation), Trehan played a major role in refining,

• Supply Code
• Commercial Regulations
• Electricity supply instruction manuals

As Engineer-in-Chief (Material Management), she managed procurement operations with an annual budget exceeding ₹1,000 crore, ensuring transparency and efficiency.

Significance of the Appointment

• The Harsharan Kaur Trehan PSPCL milestone represents progress in gender representation in technical leadership roles.
• Power utilities in India have traditionally seen limited representation of women at board levels.
• Her appointment is expected to inspire more women engineers and professionals to pursue leadership positions in public sector undertakings.
• As Director (Commercial), she will focus on improving consumer services and strengthening PSPCL’s commercial operations, especially in billing efficiency, revenue management, and regulatory compliance.

Static Facts

• Name: Harsharan Kaur Trehan
• Position: Director (Commercial), PSPCL
• Appointment Date: 20 February 2026
• Tenure: 2 years
• Joined PSEB: 1987
• First Woman Engineer-in-Chief in PSPCL: 2021
• Headquarters of PSPCL: Patiala, Punjab

Question

Q. Harsharan Kaur Trehan has been appointed as Director (Commercial) of which organisation?

A) NTPC
B) PSPCL
C) Power Grid Corporation
D) NHPC