India must increase electricity’s share in its total energy consumption from the current 22% to 45-50% by 2047 to achieve its net-zero ambitions and support rapid economic growth, Shri Ghanshyam Prasad, Chairperson of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), said at Bharat Electricity, POWERGEN India & Indian Utility Week 2026 in New Delhi.
Speaking during the opening day of the three-day summit at Yashobhoomi (IICC), Prasad outlined an ambitious roadmap for India’s power sector, emphasizing that electricity will become the backbone of industrial expansion, electric mobility, green hydrogen production and the country’s growing digital infrastructure.
“Electricity currently accounts for just 22% of India’s total energy consumption. To reach Net Zero and support the nation’s economic transformation, the power sector must expand this share to 45-50% by 2047,” he said.
The CEA chief highlighted the unprecedented pace of capacity expansion underway across the country. India added a record 64 GW of power generation capacity in the previous year, including more than 50 GW of renewable energy and is expected to exceed that milestone by adding nearly 70 GW this year.
Looking further ahead, he said India is on track to significantly expand clean energy infrastructure by 2035, including scaling up renewable energy deployment beyond its 2030 targets, developing 100 GW of pumped hydro storage by 2035-36 and achieving 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047.
Prasad said transmission infrastructure is being expanded at an equally aggressive pace to support the renewable energy transition.
The country currently has nearly ₹4 lakh crore ($40 billion) worth of transmission projects under implementation to evacuate 266 GW of generation capacity. Plans are also underway to build approximately 600 GVA of transformation capacity while ensuring new renewable energy projects receive grid connectivity within 24 to 36 months.
He noted that the grid will increasingly need to accommodate emerging electricity demand from data centres, electric vehicles and green hydrogen production.
With the scale of expansion accelerating, Prasad urged industry stakeholders to strengthen domestic supply chains for critical power equipment.
He called for greater investment in innovation, including mobile substations, SF6-free switchgear technologies, advanced forecasting systems, and artificial intelligence-driven grid management solutions to enhance grid stability and operational flexibility.
Addressing the summit, Dr D Sai Baba, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Power, said India has already crossed 300 GW of non-fossil installed power capacity, marking a significant milestone in the country’s clean energy journey. “Our challenge now is converting renewable capacity into reliable and affordable power at the right place and time by building a grid that is resilient, flexible and future-ready,” he said.
PK Pujari, IAS (Retd), Honorary Chairperson of The Energy & Climate Initiatives Society (ENCIS), said India’s electricity sector is entering a new phase where modernising the grid is becoming as important as adding generation capacity.
He said the country’s next leap will involve building a renewable-rich, decentralised and digitally enabled electricity network capable of delivering affordable and reliable clean energy while empowering consumers through smart technologies.
Organised by The Energy & Climate Initiatives Society (ENCIS), Bharat Electricity 2026 is being held alongside POWERGEN India and Indian Utility Week, bringing together more than 15,000 industry professionals, over 250 exhibitors and 150 global thought leaders from 40 countries.
The exhibition features technologies spanning grid modernisation, battery storage, green hydrogen, cybersecurity, digital utilities, artificial intelligence and workforce transformation through more than 25 technical sessions and live demonstrations.
The opening day featured discussions on India’s long-term power system roadmap to 2047, transmission bottlenecks, renewable energy curtailment, electricity market reforms, energy storage commercialisation, AI-powered digital twins for power plants and energy diplomacy.
