Power Minister Highlights Transmission Growth As Key To India’s Development Goals

Union Minister for Power and Housing & Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal, on Friday underlined the importance of a strong power infrastructure in achieving the vision of a developed India (Viksit Bharat) by 2047.

He said that ensuring optimal use of generation capacity hinges on a robust and well-planned transmission network.

During a meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Ministry held in New Delhi, the minister shared key insights.

He noted that the National Electricity Plan (NEP) outlines a roadmap to expand India’s transmission system from 2023 to 2032.

The plan aligns with the country’s growing power demand and upcoming capacity additions.

According to the NEP-Transmission, approximately 1.91 lakh circuit kilometres of transmission lines and 1,274 GVA of transformation capacity are to be added over the next decade.

Prepared by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the NEP-Transmission outlines the required network expansion up to 2031-32 to support the country’s future energy needs.

The meeting also touched upon important topics such as:

• Right of way (RoW) challenges,
• Emerging transmission technologies, and
• Cybersecurity measures in the power sector

Members of the committee offered various inputs and praised the ministry’s progress in strengthening the national transmission grid.

Manohar Lal instructed officials to carefully review the suggestions and take steps to implement those that focus on public benefit.

The minister also shared recent figures showing a notable improvement in power supply across the country.

Rural areas now receive an average of 22.6 hours of electricity daily, up from 12.5 hours in 2014. Urban areas are currently averaging 23.4 hours.

He reaffirmed the government’s goal of ensuring round-the-clock electricity access for every citizen and achieving full household electrification.

Providing updates on power generation capacity, Manohar Lal said fossil fuel-based capacity rose from 168 GW in 2014 to 246 GW by January 2025 – a 46% increase.

Meanwhile, non-fossil sources saw a sharper rise, growing from 80 GW to 220 GW in the same period, marking a growth of around 180%.

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