Powering Progress: India's Roadmap for Energy Security

The Ministry of Power convened a high-level Consultative Committee meeting on August 4, 2025, chaired by Union Minister for Power and Housing Affairs, Manohar Lal, to discuss India’s energy storage roadmap and strategies for long-term energy security.

The meeting brought together Union Ministers, Members of Parliament, senior government officials, representatives from Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs), and experts from the Central Electricity Authority. Discussions centered on addressing the intermittency of renewable energy (RE), enhancing grid stability, and enabling peak load shifting through advanced energy storage solutions.

Reaffirming India’s climate commitments, the Minister emphasized the goal to reduce the emissions intensity of GDP by 45% from 2005 levels by 2030, and to achieve 50% of installed power capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by the same year. He highlighted the critical role of coupling renewable energy with storage systems to ensure reliable and resilient power supply.

India’s flagship Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) programme—one of the largest globally—targets 43 GWh of capacity under the ₹9,160 crore Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme. The government has also waived Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) charges for eligible BESS and Pumped Storage Plant (PSP) projects.

Currently, India has 6.4 GW of operational PSP capacity, 8 GW under construction, and another 61 GW in the pipeline. The total PSP potential exceeds 200 GW. The national roadmap emphasizes ensuring resource adequacy and securing long-term capacity commitments to safeguard the country’s future energy needs.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.