Carbon Trading Platform Likely to be Lunched by September 2026 to Boost India’s RE Push

India’s carbon trading platform is expected to become operational by September 2026, a move likely to accelerate renewable energy adoption, especially in the commercial and industrial (C&I) sector. This was stated by Ghanshyam Prasad, Chairman of the Central Electricity Authority, at the 4th edition of the India Energy Transition Summit – Sustaining Momentum towards Net Zero held at Federation House, New Delhi.

He said that the platform would support renewable capacity growth at a time when power purchase agreements (PPAs) are slowing. He further noted that new market-based mechanisms are being explored to enable large-scale renewable integration and improve grid balancing. A proposed incentive scheme would encourage coal-based plants to operate flexibly, allowing more renewable power to be absorbed into the grid.

Addressing the summit, Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy Shripad Yesso Naik said that India’s energy transition is already underway, backed by clear targets and policy reforms. Under the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India aims to achieve 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2070.

Naik said that total installed power capacity has crossed 520 GW, with more than half coming from non-fossil sources. He highlighted growth driven by rooftop solar, green energy corridors, domestic manufacturing, and the National Green Hydrogen Mission.

He added that future focus must be on transmission upgrades, energy storage, grid flexibility, and financially sustainable discoms to maintain momentum.

Organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the two-day summit brought together policymakers, industry leaders, global institutions and technology innovators. Discussions focussed on accelerating renewable deployment, strengthening grid stability, scaling energy storage and finance, and addressing industrial decarbonisation, alternative fuels, CCUS and nuclear energy’s evolving role.