India’s installed electricity capacity is projected to exceed 2,000 GW by 2047, nearly four times the current level, driven by a rapid expansion in clean energy, according to the India’s Power & Energy Transformation Outlook report released by the Energy & Climate Initiatives Society (ENCIS).
The report was unveiled at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi, during the inaugural session of Bharat Electricity, POWERGEN India & Indian Utility Week 2026. It projects solar power capacity to rise from around 119 GW currently to more than 1,100 GW, highlighting the scale of infrastructure, technology and policy support required to meet India’s long-term energy ambitions.
According to the report, non-fossil sources account for 53% of India’s installed electricity capacity of around 540 GW, putting the country five years ahead of its target. Meanwhile, peak electricity demand has nearly tripled since 2000 and is forecast to reach 366 GW by 2032, representing a 34% increase, driven by emerging loads from data centres, electric mobility and green hydrogen.
The report said India will need to significantly accelerate renewable energy deployment to reach 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030, while maintaining grid reliability. Grid-scale energy storage capacity is expected to require a nearly 40-fold increase to 200 GWh by 2030.
Distribution infrastructure remains a key challenge, with the report noting that nationwide smart meter deployment is expected to reach 250 million units by FY2028. This could enable real-time management of around 90% of consumer demand and help bring average AT&C losses below 10% nationally.
Despite progress in reducing distribution losses to around 15%, the report highlighted bottlenecks in the distribution segment, with 44 GW of renewable energy capacity reportedly held up due to contractual or financing issues.
Coal is expected to continue playing a role in maintaining grid stability, with coal-fired power plants required to operate at a minimum technical load of 40% and achieve ramp rates of 3% by 2030, according to the outlook.
The report estimates that India’s power sector will require around $500 billion in investment by 2030, while more than one million skilled workers will be needed to support the country’s digitalisation and clean energy transition.
The report was released in the presence of senior government and industry representatives, including former Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Secretary Bhupinder Singh Bhalla, former CEA Chairperson P.K. Pujari, Ministry of Power Additional Secretary D. Sai Baba, Central Electricity Authority Chairperson Ghanshyam Prasad, Bihar Energy Minister Shailesh Kumar, Delhi Minister Ashish Sood and ENCIS Director General Abhishek Bhatnagar.
The three-day event, organised by ENCIS, is bringing together more than 15,000 professionals, 250 exhibitors and 150 global thought leaders from 40 countries. Participants and delegations from countries including the US, UK, Germany, France, Japan, South Korea, Australia, UAE and Singapore are attending the event in New Delhi.
With the theme “Shaping Energy Sovereignty • Building Climate Resilience • Powering Viksit Bharat,” the event focuses on clean energy technologies, manufacturing, infrastructure and international collaboration to support India’s evolving power sector.
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