Power Minister Manohar Lal said on Monday that to meet its peak power demand of 708 gigawatts (GW) by 2047, India will need to increase its installed power capacity by four times.

“By 2047, we anticipate our power demand to reach 708 GW. To meet this, we need to increase our capacity by four times, 2,100 GW. This is not just about increasing capacity; it’s about reimagining our entire energy landscape,” the Minister said in his inaugural address on CEA’s brainstorming session on power sector scenario by 2047.

The challenge of integrating variable renewable energy sources into the grid enhances the need for advanced storage solutions. The government is exploring innovative technologies in pump storage projects (PSP) and battery energy storage systems (BESS) to ensure 24/7 power availability, he added.

On capacity addition, Lal said that a big change is coming in terms of the ratio between power capacity and demand.

“Till now the ratio was that capacity was double of the power demand. But as we install more RE, this ratio will change because RE sources do not have continuity (variability) particularly for solar. So, we will have to have more RE capacity. By 2047, our demand will be around 708 GW, but our capacity will have to be increased four times. So, now capacity is double, but it has to be tripled. This is the challenge,” he added.

Lal also launched the Central Electricity Authority’s (CEA) National Electricity Electricity Plan (Transmission).

The National Electricity Plan (Transmission), developed in consultation with various stakeholders, outlines a comprehensive strategy to achieve the government’s energy transition goals.

It details the transmission infrastructure required to support 500 GW of RE capacity by 2030, increasing to over 600 GW by 2032.

The plan incorporates innovative elements such as the integration of 10 GW of offshore wind farms, 47 GW of BESS and 30 GW of PSPs. It also addresses the power needs of green hydrogen and green ammonia manufacturing hubs and includes cross-border interconnections.

With a planned addition of 190,000 circuit kilometres (ckm) of transmission lines over the next decade, the plan presents an investment opportunity of over ₹9 lakh crore in the transmission sector.