New Delhi: To meet its increasing power demand, India plans to add 424 GW of power generation capacities in the next eight years, Union Power Minister RK Singh told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. Quoting the 19th Electric Power Survey (EPS) report, Singh said in response to a question, "As on 31.12.2021, the Installed Generation Capacity of the country was around 393 GW. Further, to meet the future demand of electricity as projected in 19th EPS, by 31.03.2030, the installed generation capacity is planned to be around 817 GW."
India's per-capita electricity consumption is one-third of the global average. Therefore, as the government begins to deliver on its promise of 24×7 power for all and as industrialisation picks up pace, the energy consumption is slated to grow substantially. The estimated energy requirement of India is expected to grow from 16,50,594 Million Units (MU) in 2022-23 to 25,30,531 MU in 2031-32, marking a growth of 53 percent, data shared by the minister in the House showed.
According to a study conducted by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), by 2030, the share of coal in India's energy mix, which currently stands at around 54 percent, will go down to 33 percent. However, coal and lignite's share in India's power generation would still be at 54 percent by 2030. Currently, coal contributes around 78 percent to India's total power generation.
The study also said that solar power would make up 34 percent of the installed capacity and will contribute 19 percent to power generation by 2030. Wind power would account for 17 percent of the total installed capacity of 817 GW and will contribute 12 percent to the gross generation.
"India has robust Transmission Grid capacity. Power from one state to another state can be transmitted through electricity grids. The cumulative inter regional transmission capacity of the National Grid as on 31.01.2022 was 1,12,250 MW, which has ensured seamless transfer of power in the electricity grid," Singh told the Rajya Sabha.
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