New Delhi: Suprakash Adhikari has taken over as Director (Technical) of NHPC Limited, India's premier hydropower utility and a Navratna Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Power. Prior to this elevation, he served as Executive Director (Operations & Maintenance) at NHPC.
A seasoned professional with more than 34 years of experience in the hydropower sector, Adhikari brings a wealth of technical knowledge and project management expertise to his new role. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (formerly B.E. College), Shibpur, West Bengal.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) had approved the appointment of Adhikari as Director (Technical) of NHPC on April 15. According to a DoPT order, he has been appointed to the post till the date of his superannuation i.e. August 31, 2028 or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Adhikari began his career at NHPC in December 1990 as a Probationary Executive (Electrical) in the Quality Assurance Division at the Corporate Office. Over the years, he has played a pivotal role across various verticals of the organisation, contributing to the entire lifecycle of hydropower projects—from inception and design to commissioning and operations.
As Executive Director (O&M and Safety), Adhikari led several initiatives aimed at enhancing operational excellence. Under his leadership, NHPC achieved record annual power generation, the highest-ever Plant Availability Factor (PAF), and a substantial reduction in forced outages. His additional charge of the Design (E&M) Division saw him spearheading the engineering of electro-mechanical packages for hydro and pumped storage projects, both for NHPC and its subsidiaries or joint ventures.
He was also instrumental in the successful commissioning of the 800 MW Parbati-II Hydro Electric Project, one of NHPC’s key undertakings. As Head of Projects, Shri Adhikari led operations at several critical power stations, including the 540 MW Chamera-I, 120 MW Sewa-II, 45 MW Nimmo Bazgo, 132 MW TLD-III, and 60 MW Rangit. Notably, he directed the early restoration of the damaged Head Race Tunnel at Sewa-II—a major engineering milestone.
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