Facts

February 2025

Solar and Wind energy - An analysis

Non fossil fuel capacity as of January 2025

• 217.62 GW, with major contributions from solar (100.33 GW) and wind (48.16 GW) power
• 4th globally in renewable energy installed capacity ![obsidian|300][Screenshot_20250427-231529.png] ![obsidian|300][Screenshot_20250427-232001.png]

Solar energy

• India's solar power capacity increased 35 times over the past decade, from 2.82GW in 2014 to 100GW in 2025.
• With 84.10GW under implementation and 47.49GW under tendering.
• India is on the right track to achieve a solar module production capacity of 100GW by 2030.

Wind energy

Key Initiatives:

National Green Hydrogen Mission (2023):

• Aims to position India as a global hydrogen leader with ₹8 lakh crore investment and a target of 5 million metric tons of green hydrogen production by 2030.
• Establishment of 3 hydrogen production hubs in key locations across the country.
• The International Conference on Green Hydrogen (ICGH – 2023) took place in New Delhi from 5th to 7th July, 2023, featuring global participation from industry, academia, and government.
• From September 11-13, 2024, the 2nd International Conference on Green Hydrogen (ICGH) in New Delhi emphasized advancements in green hydrogen technology and India's leadership in the sector.
• The year 2024 also witnessed India's innovative renewable energy solutions being showcased on international platforms such as the World Hydrogen Summit 2024 in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
• From 18th to 22nd March, 2024, India hosted the 41st International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy (IPHE) Meeting in New Delhi, fostering collaboration on clean hydrogen technologies.
• When the EU officials visited New Delhi, they were received from the airport and taken to the meeting venue in a hydrogen fuel based electric bus.

CCDC Wind Initiative (2020):

• Strengthened wind energy mapping and data collection, contributing to 10 GW of new capacity.
• Centralised Data Collection and Coordination Wind Initiative
• Through National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE)
• Pic:
  
• Significant growth in wind energy capacity, from 1.86 GW in March 2004 and 21.04 GW in December 2014 to 48.16 GW in January 2025, reflecting the initiative's impact.
• In 2024, the Union Cabinet approved a Rs. 7,453 crore Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme to set up India’s first offshore wind energy projects.
• The scheme includes Rs. 6,853 crores for 1 GW of offshore wind capacity (500 MW each off the coasts of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu) and Rs. 600 crores for port upgrades to support logistics for these projects.

National Solar Mission (2010)

• Propelled India's solar capacity from 9.01 GW in 2016 to 97.86 GW in 2025
• Solar parks, rooftop programs, and off-grid solutions have expanded significantly.

PM-KUSUM Scheme (2019):

• PM Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan
• 6.1 lakh solar pumps installed to support farmers and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
• As of June, 2024, more than 4 lakh farmers benefitted from the scheme.

PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana (2024):

• Aims to power 1 crore households with rooftop solar by 2027, already achieving 7 lakh installations in 10 months.
• Regarded as the world's largest domestic rooftop solar initiative.
• Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh are among the top performing states.

100% FDI

• Government allowed full foreign investments under the automatic route, making it 100% FDI.

Green Term Ahead Market (GTAM)

• Enables solar energy trading through exchanges.

Impact & Future Roadmap:

• Strengthening grid stability and reducing carbon emissions.
• Expanding offshore wind projects with ₹7,453 crore Viability Gap Funding.
• Creating 6 lakh green jobs by 2030 in hydrogen and renewables.

Mission

India is on track to becoming a global leader in clean energy, ensuring economic resilience while reducing dependency on fossil fuels. Current updates - Doc

India’s Average Electricity Supply Rises

• In rural areas has increased from 12.5 hours in 2014 to 22.6 hours in 2025 and
• In urban areas to 23.4 hours in 2025.
• With the help of initiatives like Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) , PM Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (SAUBHAGYA), Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG), the accessibility to power has increased significantly in the last 10 years.
• The government is aiming for 100 per cent electrification of households across the country.

Increase in fossil and non fossil fuel based power capacity

• The fossil based power capacity has increased from 168 GW in 2014 to 246 GW in January 2025, which shows an increase of around 46 percent.
• The non-fossil based power capacity has increased from around 80GW in 2014 to around 220 GW in 2025 (as of 31 January 2025 ) which is around 180 percent increase, he added.

Net imported to Net exporter

• India has become net exporter of power and the net export in 2025 amounts to 1,625 MU. He added that in 2014 India was a net importer of power.

Reduction in energy shortage

• The energy shortage in the country has reduced from 4.2 per cent in 2014 to 0.1 per cent in 2025.

Reduction in Discoms losses

Power Distribution Companies (Discoms) losses, aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses have reduced from 22.62 per cent in 2014 to 15 per cent in 2025, and this will be further reduced to 10 per cent by 2030. [Swarajya](India’s Average Electricity Supply Rises: 22.6 Hours In Rural Areas, 23.4 Hours in Urban Areas)

India builds world's longest LPG pipeline to cut costs and deadly road accidents

• The newly built pipeline will be fully commissioned in June this year, 2025
• The total cost of the project in $1.3 billion, started in 2019.
• The total length of the pipeline is 2,800 km, extending from the Kandla coast in the west to Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh.
• It was built by the joint effort of IHB (Indian Oil, Hindustan Petroleum Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp)
• The pipeline will fulfill 25% demand of the oil.
• The Petroleum and Natural Gas regulatory board has been pushing the companies to build more pipelines to tackle the increased demand and avoid major accidents.
• [!] India currently has LPG pipeline network of almost 5000 km Pic:
  
  Economic Times

March 2025

BioEnergy

Bioenergy is a form of renewable energy that is derived from recently living organic materials known as biomass, which can be used to produce transportation fuels, heat, electricity, and products.

Ethanol blending raised

Ethanol blending raised from 1.53% in 2014 to 15% in 2024.

Target 20% by 2025

Reduction in crude oil imports

• This has reduced the crude oil imports by 173 lakh tonnes and also saved 99,014 crores in foreign exchange and has helped in cutting 519 lakh metric tonnes of CO2 emissions

Launch of E100 fuel

Fuel diversification is gaining momentum through the launch of E100 fuel at over 400 outlets and the availability of E20 fuel at over 15,600 retail stations.

Encouraged use of varied feed stocks

Supportive policies have encouraged the use of varied feedstocks, including maize, damaged rice, and sugarcane byproducts, backed by structured incentives.

Converting agricultural residues into fuel

Second-generation ethanol refineries are converting agricultural residues like Parali and bamboo into fuel, strengthening the circular economy and reducing pollution. PIB

May 2025

The building block of India - USA energy future (08.05, TH)

3 imperatives for India's energy security

India's energy security will be guided by three imperatives:

1. Having sufficient energy resources at predictable prices,
2. Minimal disruptions in supply chain
3. Progress towards an increasingly sustainable energy mix

Domination by China

China's restrictions in April on export on rare earth minerals were just latest move in periodic disruptions for more than a decade. China controls 90% of global rare earth processing capacity. It leverages this market power to serve its strategic purposes.

India US partnership

• In 2024, India - US signed an MoU to diversify these supply chain. Three principles were covered in this MoU.

1. Critical minerals must be viewed as the pillar of multiple sectors
2. Policies for critical minerals must be bilateral and plurilateral
3. India - US critical mineral consortium must co invest in third country projects across Africa, South America and Southeast Asia.

• To establish a dedicated India - US Mineral exchange - a secure digital platform for real time trade, investment and collaboration on critical minerals.
• Both should co develop a blockchain based traceability standard for critical minerals, inspired by the EU's Battery Passport.
• India - US should build joint strategic stockpiles of key minerals.
• Leveraging existing storage infrastructure in both countries - India's strategic petroleum reserves or the US National Defense Stockpile

Mineral security partnership with G7 countries

India - becoming first non G7 member of the mineral security partnership and India is set to host the QUAD summit later this year, 2025.

Time demanding sector

Battery plants takes 2 years to build, exploration of miens and building processing facilities takes between 12 to 16 years,

Nuclear energy

• India has a goal of achieving 100GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047.
• Currently, nuclear energy contributes just over 8GW or 2% of India's installed power capacity.
• To meet 2047 target, India must commission approximately 5GW - 6GW annually from the early 2030s.
• Achieving net zero by 2070 could require nuclear capacity exceeding 200GW under certain scenarios.
• Reducing the build time of nuclear projects, from nine years to some six years, could cut the levelised cost of electricity by 8%, like giving faster approvals.
• Can enable private sector participation like in USA.

Use of nuclear energy

Applications include the use of nuclear energy for green steel or to serve the rapidly rising demand for AI. Overall capacity requirement for 100GW of nuclear power is enormous. The exposure of domestic banks and non banking financial companies to the power sector is approximately $200 billion.

Nuclear damage act, 2010

Amend the civil liability for nuclear damage act, 2010 to enable private investments in nuclear power plants. India's indigenous reactors designs can be modularised. The recent approval for Holtec international to transfer SMR technology to Indian companies, is an example of the potential India US collaboration in this directions.

June 2025

Delhi's power demand and supply

State Load Despatch Centre (SLDC)

• The one-storey nondescript building off Minto Road is responsible for ensuring Delhi’s 34 million people get electricity in this searing heat.
• Every 15 minutes, the screens refresh with the latest information on power demand, data from 47 different substations, and on supply from power plants both in Delhi and other states.
• The SLDC operates 24* 7, with its 25-30 employees working in shifts.
• Armed with AI-powered forecasting technologies, a 24/7 control room tracking the movement of every watt.

8 power plants in Delhi

• There are 8 power plants in Delhi that, in total, generate around 661 MW of power, while the rest is bought from other states such as UP, Haryana and Punjab.

Delhi's power demand since 2020

• Capital’s peak demand this season stood at 8442 MW on 12 June
• It will easily cross 9,000 MW this summer in the city and the SLDC is prepared to handle up till 12,000 MW.
• The National Load Despatch Centre warning in January said that May, June, and July are critical months for high demand and power vulnerabilities.

BSES

• Bombay Suburban Electric Company (BSES), one of the three private DISCOMs in Delhi. BSES is responsible for providing electricity to almost 2.25 crore residents in South, West, East, and Central Delhi.

Peak hours

• During summers and especially during the peak hours – 3 PM in the afternoons and 11 PM at night – the SLDC engineers can’t afford to take their eyes off the screen.
• The Preet Vihar substation, nestled in a residential area, reaches its peak load at 11 PM in the night.
• The Kashmere Gate substation reaches its peak load at around 10am during the day.

Frequency's high and low

• For any electrical grid to be maintained, there needs to be a balance in the frequency of power flowing – it should be 50 Hz at all times
• If there’s too much demand and not enough generation of power, then the frequency lowers and the grid fails.
• If there’s not enough demand but too much generation of power, then the frequency increases, and again the grid can fail Print

Increasing share of Russian crude

Steadily increasing the share of Russian crude in its import basket from 2.1% by value in 2021 - 2022 to 35.1% in 2024 -2025. This has also reduced the weightage average cost of the basket of imported crude by at least $2 per barrel.

49% of energy is from renewables as of 2025

Five years ago, the renewables accounted for 19% of the electricity generation capacity. Today it accounts for 49% (234 GW).

Hydro electric power projects across India

Arunachal's Subansiri Lower Hydro Electric Project 2,000MW

• @ India's largest under construction hydro power station - 2000MW India's largest hydropower project
• Located near Arunachal pradesh's Kamle district, little over two hour drive from Dibrugarh, Assam
• 50% structures on the upstream in the Arunachal Pradesh, 50% structures falls on the left bank in Assam's Gerukamukh, the power station is strategically on the Assam state.
• Four of the power station’s eight units, each with a capacity of 250 MW, will start commercial operations between mid-November and December-end.
• The remaining four units of the same capacity are nearing completion and will be commissioned next year.
• The control is being undertaken by National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC)

Union cabinet approved in 2003

The SLHEP has been in the making for the last 20 years. While the Union cabinet had approved it way back in 2003, India’s largest hydropower developer NHPC started construction on this mega project on the Subansiri in 2005.

Estimated cost ₹6,285 crores

At that time, the estimated cost of the project was Rs 6,285 crore and its completion deadline was 2012. But the humongous delay led to an over 50 percent escalation with the cost shooting to Rs 27,000 crore at present day prices.

Suspension of work in 2011

• The Subansiri Lower HEP has seen many hurdles after being greenlit in January 2005 at Gerukamukh on the Arunachal Pradesh-Assam border.
• Mounting protests by local communities and anti-dam agitators, some of whom also petitioned the National Green Tribunal (NGT) against the construction over environmental and social concerns, led to suspension of work in 2011.

NGT order to resume work in 2019

It was only in October, 2019 that the NGT gave the go ahead for work to resume. On account of the delay, the per day loss to NHPC because of work getting stalled, was to the tune of Rs 5 crore. In the last one year, interest during construction has come to approximately Rs 1,000 crore.

Arunachal Pradesh secures 274MW

From the 2,000 MW installed capacity of the project, Arunachal Pradesh has been allocated 274 MW. Of this 240 MW will be free as per the Centre’s policy mandating 12 percent free power to the home state (because of submergence and displacement of population caused by the project).

Assam secures 300MW

Assam, beyond its standard 208 MW share, secures a preferential 300 MW allotment plus 25 MW of free electricity. NDTV

January 2026

West Asia's continued domination in India's crude basket import

• Saudi Arabia, Iraq, UAE, and Kuwait are expected to dominate India's crude oil, due to country's proximity, reliability, and refinery compatibilities.
• At the same time, Russian oil is also likely to retain its position in India's refining system supported by existing contractual relationship, favorable practice, and refinery optimization in this 2026.
• UAE supply grew by 131% to 592,000 barrels per day (KBD) from 256 barrels in November.
• Kuwait supply is grew by 63% from 178 KBD to 256 KBD.

India also turned to the Americas.

• Brazil supplied 246 KBD while Mexico supplied 65 KBD, both registering no purchases in November.

From US and Atlantic suppliers, act as buffers not replacements

The incremental volumes from the U.S. and select Atlantic business suppliers will add flexibility in 2026, acting as buffers rather than outright replacements for Russian oil.

Demand increasing with expansion of facilities

On the demand side, upcoming capacity additions are expected to raise India's crude import requirements:

• A refinery in Rajasthan is expected to start operations in the first half of 2026
• Expansions at existing plants in Haryana's Panipat and Assam's Golaghat

Sanctions on selective Russian oil majors

Russian oil itself is not sanctioned. The suppliers are like the Russian oil majors Rosneft, and Lukoil. The space now opens for alternative sellers such as Tatneft, Redwood Global Supply, Rusexport, Morexport among others.

Russian oil imports for 2025

• Despite the decline, Russian oil accounted for a quarter of total oil imports.
• The highest for any trading partner but the lowest for Russia during the year 2025. Print

Oil imports