Renewables Share 33 Percent in India's Energy Landscape, MoP Reports

The Ministry of Power has reported progress in India’s energy sector, highlighting significant advancements in both conventional and non-conventional sources of energy. 

Over the past decade, India has transitioned from a power-deficit to a power-sufficient nation, adding 214,237 MW of generation capacity. As of June 2024, India's total generation capacity stands at 446,190 MW, reflecting a remarkable 79.5 percent increase from 248,554 MW in March 2014.

As of June 30, 2024, conventional energy sources constitute 66.81 percent of India’s total electricity capacity. Within this segment, thermal capacity dominates with 242,996 MW, accounting for 54.46 percent of the total. Coal remains the largest contributor with 210,970 MW, representing 47.28 percent of the total energy capacity. Other thermal sources include lignite at 6,601 MW (1.48 percent), gas at 24,804 MW (5.56 percent), and diesel at 621 MW (0.13 percent). Additionally, nuclear energy contributes 8,180 MW, while large hydro sources add 46,928 MW to the overall capacity.

Non-conventional energy sources have also seen substantial growth, contributing 33.2 percent to India's total energy capacity. Solar power leads the way among non-conventional sources, with an installed capacity of 85,474 MW, making up over 19 percent of the country's total energy mix. Wind power follows with 46,656 MW, accounting for 10 percent. Bio-power and small hydro power round off the list with capacities of 10,948 MW and 5,005 MW, respectively.

To strengthen the distribution system, India has implemented projects worth INR 1.85 lakh crores under various schemes such as the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY), Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS), and Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (SAUBHAGYA).

These initiatives have led to the addition of 2,927 new substations, the upgrade of 3,965 existing substations, the installation of 692,200 distribution transformers, and the separation of 113,938 circuit kilometres (km) of feeders. Additionally, 8.5 lakh circuit kilometres (CKm) of high-tension (HT) and low-tension (LT) lines have been added or upgraded across the states.

As a result of these measures, the availability of power supply in rural areas has increased from 12.5 hours in 2015 to 21.9 hours in 2024, while urban areas now enjoy 23.4 hours of power supply daily. The gap between energy requirement and energy supplied has reduced from 4.2 percent in 2013-14 to a mere 0.1 percent in FY 2024-25 (up to June 2024). This remaining gap is generally attributed to constraints in state transmission and distribution networks and financial limitations of distribution companies (DISCOMs).