Peak demand to surge by 80% to 458 GW by 2032 | Will push thermal till 2035 to meet power demand, then reverse for net zero: Khattar

He added that the ministry volition soon merchandise the National Electricity Plan 2023-32 for transmission infrastructure, which volition necessitate an expenditure of astir 9 lakh crore and includes a roadmap to treble high-voltage nonstop existent (HVDC) lines, cardinal for renewable vigor transmission.

“The velocity astatine which the request is increasing, the proviso of RE (renewable energy) is not enough, hence it is indispensable to see thermal plants. When we speech of c emissions and achieving nett zero, we volition person to summation RE capableness and dilatory trim thermal capacity. We volition propulsion (thermal) projects till 2035 and aft that we volition reverse the process,” Khattar said.

India plans to adhd 80 GW of thermal capableness by 2032, with 28 GW nether operation and 12.8 GW bid out. Of the capableness nether construction, 14 GW is apt to beryllium commissioned wrong the ongoing fiscal year.

Due to the variability of star and upwind generation, renewable vigor is not capable to proviso capable powerfulness during highest hours, which successful crook increases reliance connected basal load capacities similar thermal. India’s coal-fired thermal capableness grew to 218 GW successful FY24 from 205 GW successful FY20, a humble 6 per cent growth. At the aforesaid time, procreation by coal-fired thermal plants grew by 34 per cent from 960 cardinal units (BU) to 1,290 BU.

Slowdown successful capableness summation and expanding load connected existing capacities tin enactment important accent connected the grid, perchance starring to load shedding and impermanent strategy failures. The urgency of strengthening basal load capacities is further highlighted by the expected surge successful highest powerfulness demand, from 250 GW this twelvemonth to 458 GW successful 2032, an 83 per cent increase.

To code this, vigor retention technologies specified arsenic pumped hydro and artillery vigor retention systems are gaining traction globally, including successful India. Khattar noted that India has a pumped hydro imaginable of 184 GW, with 4.7 GW installed, astir 6.47 GW nether construction, and 60 GW nether survey and investigation.

Khattar besides said the awaited National Electricity Plan (NEP) volition grow India’s transmission web from 4.85 circuit kilometre (ckm) to 6.48 ckm by 2032. Moreover, transformer capableness volition turn from 1,251 gigavolt-amperes (GVA) to 2,342 GVA. The NEP besides includes a roadmap of 9 HVDC lines of 33.25 GW capacity, astir treble of the presently operational 33.5 GW.

At the inauguration of the CSIRT–Power facility, Srikant Nagulapalli, Additional Secretary successful the powerfulness ministry, said that each powerfulness assemblage utilities person appointed Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and are successful the process of completing the archetypal circular of cyber information audits.

“In today’s interconnected world, cyber information is not an enactment but an indispensable requirement. The powerfulness assemblage infrastructure faces heightened threats from state-sponsored adversaries with precocious capabilities. The existing sub sectoral machine exigency effect teams deficiency the indispensable resources and expertise to code these threats effectively. The sector’s ongoing integer translation has accrued the imaginable for attacks,” Nagulapalli said.