{"id":87876,"date":"2026-02-15T10:35:18","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T05:05:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=87876"},"modified":"2026-02-16T11:33:28","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T06:03:28","slug":"indias-power-sector-transitioning-from-coal-backbone-to-renewable-dominance-for-net-zero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/indias-power-sector-transitioning-from-coal-backbone-to-renewable-dominance-for-net-zero\/","title":{"rendered":"India\u2019s Power Sector &#8211; Transitioning From Coal Backbone to Renewable Dominance For Net Zero"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>India\u2019s Power Sector Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A new study by NITI Aayog titled \u201cScenarios Towards Viksit Bharat and Net Zero\u201d outlines possible pathways for India\u2019s electricity transition up to 2070.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While coal currently dominates India\u2019s electricity generation, the report projects a long-term structural shift toward renewable energy (RE).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This shift will be supported by nuclear expansion, storage technologies, and possible decarbonisation of coal through Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (<\/span><b>CCUS<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The study examines two pathways: Current Policy Scenario (<\/span><b>CPS<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) \u2013 Continuation of existing policies, and Net Zero Scenario (<\/span><b>NZS<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) \u2013 Accelerated pathway aligned with India\u2019s 2070 net-zero target.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Present Electricity Landscape &#8211; Coal Still the Backbone<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coal accounts for about <\/span><b>74%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of electricity generation, providing low-cost base-load power, grid stability, and round-the-clock reliability.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Installed capacity (December 2025):<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Total: 513 GW<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fossil-based: 48%<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Renewable: 50%<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nuclear: 1.7%<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, despite renewables constituting 50% of installed capacity, their contribution to actual electricity generation remains only about <\/span><b>22%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (2024-25).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Structural Constraints in Renewable Energy<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The gap between renewable capacity and actual generation is due to following structural challenges &#8211;<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Low capacity utilisation factor (CUF):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Solar and wind operate below maximum potential output.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Intermittency and variability<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Solar and wind are weather-dependent, leading to curtailment, dispatch challenges, and grid instability risks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Grid constraints: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Limited transmission capacity, and inadequate system flexibility.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Storage deficit: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lack of large-scale long-duration energy storage.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because of these constraints, coal continues to provide essential balancing power.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Electricity Mix Projections up to 2070<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Under CPS:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Renewable share in generation is expected to increase from 20% (2024-25) to over <\/span><b>80<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">% (2070). The respective share of coal and nuclear will be coal share [74% \u2192 6\u201310%], and nuclear [3% \u2192 5\u20138%].<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coal capacity may rise from 268 GW (2025) to peak at 450\u2013470 GW by 2050, and gradually decline afterward.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Under NZS:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coal-based generation could fall to zero by 2070, and coal capacity may peak earlier at 420\u2013435 GW by 2045, and decline sharply thereafter.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Renewables become the dominant backbone of the grid.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Massive Storage Expansion Required<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A renewables-heavy grid demands unprecedented storage capacity.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Battery Energy Storage Systems (<\/span><b>BESS<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) to scale up from less than 50 GW in 2030 to about 1,300-1,400 GW under CPS and up to 2,500-3,000 GW under NZS by 2070.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Pumped Storage Plants<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are also expected to play a crucial role in providing long-duration storage and grid stability, growing from 13-19 GW in 2030 to about 110 GW in CPS and 150-165 GW in NZS.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Storage becomes central to grid <\/span><b>reliability<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, load balancing, and round-the-clock power supply.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Nuclear Power as Strategic Pillar<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Targets:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The study identifies nuclear energy as crucial in a renewable-dominated grid.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It projects nuclear power capacity to grow from the current <\/span><b>8.18 GW<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in 2025 to 90-135 GW by 2070 under CPS \u2014 an increase of 10 to 15 times.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under the NZS, nuclear capacity could touch 295-320 GW.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Key roles of nuclear energy:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Firm low-carbon base-load power<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Industrial high-temperature heat<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Power supply for green hydrogen electrolyzers<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Grid balancing support<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>The report recommends:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Advanced reactors<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Transition of captive coal plants to SMRs. This helps reuse existing land, transmission connectivity, and industrial infrastructure.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Coal\u2019s Continuing Role in Transition<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite the clean energy push, coal remains <\/span><b>indispensable <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in the near to medium term because storage remains expensive; nuclear projects have high capital cost, long gestation period; and renewables face land and clearance challenges.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In some pathways, coal continues even in 2070 with deep decarbonisation via:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>CCUS<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Captures CO\u2082 from coal plants. Stores underground or reuses it. Prevents atmospheric emissions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This pathway becomes relevant if nuclear expansion slows, renewable deployment faces cost or grid barriers.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Alternative Pathway Risks<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If nuclear growth remains limited, solar capacity may need to exceed 5,500 GW, storage requirements would rise dramatically, and grid stability risks would intensify.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This creates financial stress, infrastructure bottlenecks, and land acquisition challenges.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Challenges and Way Forward<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Intermittency of renewables: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rapid scale-up of BESS and Pumped Storage. Improve market mechanisms for flexible dispatch.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>High storage costs: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Develop domestic manufacturing ecosystem for storage technologies. Promote CCUS research and pilot deployment.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Grid infrastructure inadequacy: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Accelerate grid modernization and transmission expansion.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Nuclear capital intensity: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fast-track nuclear expansion including SMRs. Encourage industrial shift to nuclear-based captive power.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Managing stranded coal assets: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Strategic planning to avoid stranded coal assets.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s electricity transition will not be a simple coal-to-solar swap. It will require a carefully calibrated mix of renewables, storage, nuclear expansion, grid reform, and transitional coal support.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coal may remain the backbone in the medium term, but by 2070, renewables \u2014 supported by large-scale storage and nuclear power \u2014 could decisively reshape India\u2019s energy architecture.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The real challenge lies not in installing capacity, but in ensuring <\/span><b>reliability, flexibility, affordability<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and system <\/span><b>stability <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in a net-zero compatible electricity grid.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Source: <\/b><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-economics\/renewables-to-dominate-indias-grid-by-2070-but-structural-challenges-are-slowing-the-pace-10527462\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A new study by NITI Aayog titled \u201cScenarios Towards Viksit Bharat and Net Zero\u201d outlines possible pathways for India\u2019s power sector transition up to 2070.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":87992,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[5441,60,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-87876","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-indias-power-sector","9":"tag-mains-articles","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87876"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87876\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88000,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87876\/revisions\/88000"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87992"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}