The Ministry of Power has targeted expanding India’s power transmission network to 648,000 circuit kilometers (ckm) in 2032 from 485,000 ckm in 2024. The plan is to meet a peak electricity demand of 458 GW by 2032.

The ministry has finalized a National Electricity Plan 2023-2032 for Central and State transmission systems to strengthen the power infrastructure, enhance capacity, increase connectivity, and expand international reach. The plan’s total cost is ₹91.5 billion (~$1.09 billion).

This plan will help meet the increasing electricity demand and facilitate renewable energy integration and green hydrogen loads into the grid.

The transformation capacity will increase from 1,251 GVA to 2,342 GVA by 2032 under the new plan.

“Nine High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) lines of 33.25 GW capacity will be added to 33.5 GW presently operating.  Inter-regional transfer capacity will increase from 119 GW to 168 GW.  This plan covers the network of 220 kV and above,” the Union Power Minister  Manohar Lal said.

The minister said an interstate transmission system (ISTS) capacity of 50 GW has been approved. The 335 GW transmission network is planned to evacuate 280 GW of variable renewable energy to the ISTS network by 2030.

Out of 280 GW, a transmission capacity of 42 GW has already been completed, 85 GW is under construction, and 75 GW is under bidding. The remaining 82 GW will eventually be approved.

The approval covers renewable energy transmission systems for Gujarat (14.5 GW), Andhra Pradesh (12.5 GW), Rajasthan (7.5 GW), Tamil Nadu (3.5 GW), Karnataka (7 GW), and Maharashtra (1.5 GW).

Power evacuation infrastructure growth in India has lagged behind the pace of power capacity additions due to challenges faced by transmission projects, with implementation delays running into several months and even years.

The minister said plans are afoot to add 39 GW of pumped hydro storage capacity by 2030 to address storage and grid stability needs. Currently,  4.7 GW of pumped storage capacity has been installed, 6.47 GW is under construction, and 60 GW is under various stages of survey and investigation.

Manohar Lal said while India is aggressively pursuing energy transition goals, the government has prioritized thermal capacity addition to meet peak demand and base load requirements. The total thermal capacity stands at 217 GW, with 28.4 GW under construction and 14 GW expected by FY 2025. Additionally, 58.4 GW is at various stages of planning, statutory clearances, and bidding. In the last 100 days, the ministry awarded 12.8 GW of new coal-based thermal capacity.

The minister also referred to the revised guidelines for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, which serve as a blueprint for expediting the deployment of EV charging infrastructure to meet future demand.