India's maximum power demand is expected to reach 459 gigawatts by the end of the decade, accompanied by a dramatic growth in generation and storage capacity, according to the power ministry.
To match the rise in peak consumption, which stood at 250 gigawatts in 2024, the government foresees installed capacity to more than double to 1121 gigawatts. Storage systems would reach 888 gigawatt hours, the ministry said in a report released on Thursday.
India still relies on coal-generated electricity for about two thirds of its power consumption, a dependence it's trying to ease by adding more renewables into the grid. This month, gas shortages caused by the war in the Middle East have shone a spotlight on the country's vulnerability to fossil fuel shocks.
Within ten years, India's energy portfolio is expected to look very different, with clean installations rising to 70% of the total from 52% today. The projected 786 gigawatts of non-fossil fuel sources, including 509 of solar alone, would vastly surpass 315 gigawatts of coal capacity.
A rise in installations would be matched by a large expansion of transmission infrastructure by the same year, costing 7.93 trillion rupees ($85.6 billion). The government is planning to accommodate 900 gigawatts of clean capacity, exceeding what it expects for 2036.
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