India plans to raise its electricity generation capacity by more than fourfold over the next two decades to cater to rising domestic demand, although the focus would be on boosting power production from cleaner sources of energy as the country takes steps to cut emissions.
The goal is to collaborate with all the stakeholders and achieve a generation capacity of 2,100GW by 2047, power minister Manohar Lal Khattar said at the launch of National Electricity Plan for power transmission in Delhi. India has a current installed capacity of about 453GW, with nearly half of it coming from coal and lignite. The country anticipates peak power demand to reach 708GW by 2047, from an anticipated 257GW in the current financial year that ends in March 2025.
The South Asian nation wants to aggressively grow its renewable and non-fossil fuel-based power generation capacity and steadily trim reliance on coal, in line with international commitment to reduce emissions and achieve net zero by 2070, the minister said. The plan includes raising non-fossil energy capacity to 500GW by 2030 and further to over 600GW by 2032, he added. The plans envisage a subdued role of coal in India's energy mix, although much would depend on the execution of the ambitious strategy given that developing countries, including India have prioritized energy security over international commitment to lower carbon emissions.
India's non-fossil fuel growth plan stipulates the integration of 10GW of offshore wind farms, 47GW of battery energy storage systems, and 30GW of pumped-storage plants to address the power needs of green hydrogen and green ammonia manufacturing hubs with cross-border interconnections, the power ministry said. The pumped-storage capacity would be increased to 116GW by 2047 from 4.7GW at present, while the country would see a solar power capacity of 1,200GW and wind-power-generation capacity of 400GW over the same period. India has a solar power capacity of 91GW at present, while wind power capacity stands at 47GW. The overall generation growth would also include "flexible operation" of thermal and nuclear plants, the ministry said.
The country also plans to add 190,000 circuit kilometres of transmission lines and boost its power transformation capacity over the next decade at an estimated investment of 9 trillion rupees ($107bn). The aim is to have a transmitting capacity to supply expanded renewable power capacity over the next six to eight years and grow the overall grid capacity. The power transmission plan also covers cross-border interconnections with Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka as well as potential interconnections with countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
