REconnect Nagpur: Experts Call for Stronger Policy Support, Infrastructure and Centre-State Coordination
REconnect Nagpur highlighted India’s rapid RE growth, outlining solar scale-up, storage deployment, grid stability, EV integration, and manufacturing expansion, with experts calling for stronger Centre–State coordination, accelerated infrastructure development, and continued policy support to unlock the sector’s full potential in the coming decade.
January 09, 2026. By Mrinmoy Dey
India has also achieved over 50 percent of its installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources in June 2025, significantly ahead of its Paris Agreement target. Maharashtra, itself, has reached about 15 GW of installed RE capacity and is targeting 38 GW by 2030.
As solar capacity scales, storage, EV integration and transmission readiness are emerging as critical enablers shaping the next phase of the country’s clean-energy journey. Against this backdrop, Energetica India convened the second edition of REconnect Nagpur, a focused industry forum that brought together policymakers, utilities, EPC players, manufacturers, technology providers and financiers.
Hosted in one of India’s most strategically located and fast-emerging energy and logistics hubs, the platform enabled candid dialogue on solar growth, storage deployment, grid stability, manufacturing expansion and sustainable economic development, aligning regional strengths with national renewable-energy ambitions.
In his inaugural address, Hemant Arora, Director, Energetica India, highlighted that Maharashtra is rapidly emerging as a leading clean energy hub, with strong momentum across solar deployment, manufacturing, storage, grid modernisation and EV infrastructure. “Maharashtra is truly coming into its own as one of the country’s leading solar hubs, having made impressive strides not only in project deployment but also in manufacturing,” he said.
He further added that the state’s progress reflects strong policy support, targeted investment strategies and a growing innovation ecosystem, backed by significant industrial capacity and land availability for solar manufacturing. “But Maharashtra’s story goes well beyond manufacturing. It is equally about the accelerating push for solar adoption, large-scale storage solutions, power grid upgrades, and the rapid expansion of EV charging infrastructure across the state,” asserted Arora.
CA. Abhijit Kelkar, Vice President, Maharashtra Economic Development Council (MEDC), remarked that Nagpur is an apt choice for hosting REconnect Summit, given its strategic centrality and fast-growing industrial ecosystem, Abhijeet Kelkar said while addressing the gathering. “It has been said that Nagpur is so centrally located that almost 300 districts can be delivered overnight from Nagpur,” he noted, describing the city as a true “centre of India,” supported by MIHAN, the diamond crossing and strong multimodal connectivity.
Highlighting infrastructure growth, Kelkar pointed to Nagpur’s direct link with Mumbai via the Samruddhi Mahamarg and the expansion of industrial capacity. “Apart from MIDC-1 and MIDC-2, now we are planning for MIDC-3 as well,” he said, underlining the region’s readiness to support emerging clean energy industries.
Turning to solar energy, Kelkar said that India enjoys an inherent advantage. “It is said that it is an unfair advantage to India having maximum sun,” he observed, while adding that only “5 percent of the entire population is using solar,” signalling enormous untapped potential for both consumers and industry in the years ahead.
He stressed that solar aligns with a broader shift in business priorities. “The P of profit has been replaced with planet first, people next and profit third,” Kelkar said, adding that solar naturally addresses sustainability, livelihoods and economic returns. Referring to the cultural idea of Shubh Labh, he said that profit must be ethical and sustainable, a principle well reflected in renewable energy.
Defining energy security as the “continuous access of energy supplies to sustain economic and commercial growth,” Dr. Bhupendra Kumar Singh, Chief – Energy Security, Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), said that India’s traditional dependence on oil and gas has raised serious climate concerns, making the shift to renewables imperative.
Referring to India’s commitments at the Glasgow climate summit, Singh highlighted the Panchamrit targets announced by the Prime Minister, including 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030, 50 percent electricity generation from non-fossil sources by 2030, a reduction of 1 billion tonnes of carbon emissions, a 45 percent cut in emissions intensity, and the goal of net zero by 2070. He added that India has already achieved the 50 percent non-fossil electricity generation milestone.
Singh pointed out that India is now the fourth-largest renewable energy producer globally, ranking third in solar and fourth in wind. Installed solar capacity has surged to 129 GW, compared to just 3 GW in 2014, contributing to a total 259 GW of non-fossil capacity.
On manufacturing, he cited the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, under which around INR 52,000 crore has been disbursed, creating 44,000 jobs. He also highlighted flagship programmes such as PM-KUSUM, with 9.2 lakh solar pumps given under Component B, and PM Surya Ghar, covering 24 lakh households and 7 GW of rooftop solar backed by INR 13,000 crore in subsidies.
Looking ahead, Singh highlighted that the National Electricity Plan envisages 350 GW of renewable energy by 2026-27, while 55 solar parks with a combined 40 GW capacity have already been approved across 32 states.
He further added that India’s EV adoption continues to accelerate, with registrations rising from about 1.9 million in 2024 to nearly 2 million in 2025, including 156,455 electric cars, reflecting a growth of around 80 percent. To support this surge, public charging infrastructure expanded to 1.56 million stations in 2025 and is projected to reach 11.58 million by 2035, growing at a 22.2 percent CAGR.
“The government has de-licensed public charging stations, introduced the EV Mitra initiative targeting 72,000 new outlets by 2026, and mandated time-bound power connections – 7 days in metros, 15 days in urban areas and 30 days in rural areas – to fast-track nationwide charging deployment,” stated Singh.
He stressed that closer Centre-state coordination will be essential to overcome challenges related to land, pricing and investment, and to support parallel growth in EV adoption and charging infrastructure.
please contact: contact@energetica-india.net.
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