New Delhi, September 26, 2024: Government of India plans to invest ₹ 9.15 lakh crore in central and state transmission systems by 2032, as outlined in the revised National Electricity Plan (NEP). Union Minister for Power, Manohar Lal Khattar, stated that the updated plan aims to address rising electricity demand and support the integration of renewable energy into the grid.
The NEP (2023-2032), set to be released within the next 15 days, targets meeting a peak electricity demand of 458 GW by 2032, compared to the over 240 GW observed in 2023. The plan includes expanding the transmission network from 4.85 lakh circuit km (ckm) in 2024 to 6.48 lakh ckm by 2032. During this period, the transformation capacity is projected to grow from 1,251 GVA to 2,342 GVA.
Additionally, the government has sanctioned 50 GW of inter-state transmission system (ISTS) capacity, with a transmission network of 335 GW planned to evacuate 280 GW of variable renewable energy (VRE) to the ISTS by 2030. Of this capacity, 42 GW is completed, 85 GW is under construction, 75 GW is in the bidding phase, and the remaining capacity will be approved in the future according to the reports published in projectsmonitor.com.
In the first 100 days, the government approved transmission schemes corresponding to 50.9 GW capacity, costing ₹ 60,676 crore. These approved systems include renewable energy evacuation, such as offshore wind power in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, to support planned green hydrogen and green ammonia projects, as well as pumped storage projects in Maharashtra.
Furthermore, the system will facilitate the evacuation of hydro power from Jammu & Kashmir and thermal power from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. In the past 100 days, the ministry has awarded 12.8 GW of new coal-based thermal capacity.
