New Delhi January 2 2025: India’s total installed power generation capacity has nearly doubled in the last ten years to 457 gigawatts as of November as the country continues to add capacities to meet rising demand, according to a statement from the federal ministry of power Jan. 1.
India’s total installed power generation capacity stood at 249 GW as of March 2014.
“Since April 2014, 129 GW of renewable energy capacity, including large hydro, has been added,” the ministry said in its year-end review statement. “This includes 91 GW of solar power, 27 GW of wind power, 3.2 GW of biomass, 1.3 GW of small hydro, and approximately 6.3 GW of large hydro generation capacity, demonstrating India’s strong commitment to clean energy.”
India has also approved 19.2 GW of new coal-based thermal capacity to meet peak demand, the ministry said, adding that the total installed capacity of coal and lignite-based thermal plants currently stands at 217.5 GW.
While an additional 29.2 GW of capacity is under construction, about 13.4 GW expected to be commissioned in FY 2024-25 and another 36.3 GW of capacity is in various stages of planning, clearances and bidding, the ministry said.
Stocks at domestic-coal based power plants is also expected to rise to 50 million mt by March this year, compared with 47.8 million mt in the same month last year, the statement said, amid an increase in domestic coal production.
India has planned to add about 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030 to reduce emissions but also plans to add 80 GW of coal-fired power plants in the next few years amid rising demand.
Crisil Market Intelligence & Analytics expects the country’s power demand to rise 5%-6% in the current fiscal. India’s fiscal year runs from April 1 to March 31.
Per capita electricity consumption in India has surged to 1,395 kWh in 2023-24, up 45.8% from 957 kWh in 2013-14, the statement said.
PSP potential huge
Due to significant additions in generation and transmission capacities, energy shortages at the national level have reduced to about 0.1% in FY 2024-25,from 4.2% in FY 2013-14, the statement said.
India’s power demand and capacity are expected to surge over the next two decades, but developing strong grid and transmission infrastructure is a prerequisite for the smooth integration of renewable energy, according to industry observers.
The country is planning to expand its transmission systems from 491,000 circuit kilometres [ckm] to 648,000 ckm by 2032 as it sees peak demand increasing to 458 GW by 2032 from about 250 GW seen in 2024, the statement said.
Inter-regional transfer capacity is also expected to increase from 119 GW to 168 GW by 2032.
Meanwhile, transmission network required to connect 280 GW of Variable Renewable Energy (VRE) to the Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) by 2030 is planned to be 335 GW, of which 42 GW has already been completed while 85 GW is under construction and 75 GW is under bidding. The remaining 82 GW will be approved in due course, the statement added.
India has the potential of pumped storage projects [PSPs] of about 181 GW with around only 5 GW developed so far and the government has set an ambitious target of adding 35 GW PSP capacity by 2031-32, out of which 6 GW is under construction and rest is under development, the statement said.
