India Eyes Greener Path to Power-Hungry Data Centres, IT Ministry in Talks with Power Ministry

In a bid to address the soaring energy demands of India’s growing data centre infrastructure, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is actively engaging with the Ministry of Power to explore sustainable energy solutions. This strategic collaboration aims to balance the rapid digital expansion, especially driven by cloud computing and artificial intelligence, with India’s clean energy ambitions.

Speaking at the Global Technology Summit, IT Secretary S. Krishnan acknowledged the challenges posed by the massive power requirements of data centres, which are often criticized for their high energy consumption and limited job creation. “If we want to harness the full potential of emerging technologies, establishing more data centres is inevitable. But this must be done smartly, with a clear focus on energy efficiency and sustainability,” he said.

Krishnan emphasized that India has a unique edge due to its substantial renewable energy capacity, particularly solar and wind. However, he noted that renewable energy sources are often intermittent, posing a hurdle for the continuous power supply needed by data centres.

To counter this, Krishnan suggested shifting the geographical preference for data centres—from coastal areas near submarine cable landings to inland regions rich in green energy. “The idea is to bring data centres closer to where clean power is available,” he explained.

He also stressed the need to develop viable energy storage solutions and adopt a more flexible approach to sustainability. “It doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing when it comes to being green. Hybrid solutions, including the limited use of cleaner fuels like natural gas, which is significantly less polluting than coal, could offer a middle path,” Krishnan added.

The IT Secretary also highlighted infrastructure bottlenecks such as the availability of sub-stations for power distribution to data centres. “These backend infrastructure issues need to be tackled along with the energy question,” he said.

The discussions mark a critical step towards building an eco-conscious digital infrastructure in India, signaling the government’s intent to align data centre growth with its broader clean energy goals.