PANAJI:
India has sufficient electricity availability to effectively address challenges in the power sector, with the country’s total installed generation capacity currently at 466 GW (Gigawatts). The Government of India has successfully increased the generation capacity by 234 GW since April 2014, mitigating electricity shortages and transforming the country from a power-deficit nation to a power-surplus one, Union Minister Shripad Naik informed the Rajya Sabha while responding to an unstarred question.
While addressing concerns about India’s ability to manage increasing power shortages during peak hours by 2027, despite the commissioning of coal and thermal power projects, the minister assured the Rajya Sabha of the country’s preparedness.
Additionally, the transmission infrastructure has been significantly expanded, including:
2,01,088 Circuit Kilometers of transmission lines, 7,78,017 MVA of transformation capacity and 82,790 MW of inter-regional transfer capacity.
This has enhanced the inter regional transmission capacity across the country to 1,18,740 MW.
In May 2024, India successfully met its 250 GW peak electricity demand. The peak deficit has been reduced from 4.5% in 2013-14 to as low as 0.001% in 2024-25. According to the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) projections, by 2027, solar and non-solar power demands are expected to reach 289 GW and 265 GW respectively. The minister expressed confidence that India will meet this demand using existing and under-construction capacity.
