India's power supply position remains adequate, installed capacity reaches 548.86 GW: Govt
New Delhi, August 4
India has adequate availability of electricity, with the country's installed generation capacity reaching 548.86 GW as of June 2026, while the government continues to expand generation, transmission, storage and distribution infrastructure to meet rising power demand, according to the Ministry of Power.
The government informed the Rajya Sabha that India has added 324.7 GW of generation capacity since April 2014, transforming the country from a power-deficit to a power-sufficient position.
Since 2014, the country has also added 2,18,267 circuit km of transmission lines, 9,47,405 MVA of transformation capacity and 84,390 MW of inter-regional transmission capacity. Total inter-regional transmission capacity has now reached 1,20,340 MW, enabling greater transfer of electricity between regions.
The government said energy supplied has broadly remained commensurate with energy requirements, with only marginal gaps generally arising from constraints in state-level transmission and distribution networks.
In FY 2025-26, the country's energy requirement stood at 17,07,493 million units (MU), against supply of 17,06,985 MU, leaving a gap of just 508 MU, or around 0.03 per cent. During April-June 2026, the requirement was 4,83,117 MU, while 4,82,435 MU was supplied, resulting in a gap of 682 MU, or 0.1 per cent.
To keep generation ahead of projected peak demand, states have prepared 10-year rolling Resource Adequacy Plans, covering generation as well as power procurement. The government expects installed generation capacity to reach 874 GW by 2031-32.
On thermal power, around 21,080 MW has been commissioned since April 2023, while another 47,545 MW is under construction. The government is also pursuing additional hydro, nuclear and renewable capacity. About 1,47,720 MW of renewable capacity is currently under construction, including 1,19,580 MW of solar and 27,720 MW of wind capacity.
Energy storage is also being expanded, with 15,870 MW/95,220 MWh of pumped storage projects and 15,754 MW/42,530 MWh of battery energy storage systems under construction as of June 30, 2026.
On distribution, the government is implementing the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), with projects worth Rs 1.53 lakh crore sanctioned for loss-reduction infrastructure and Rs 1.31 lakh crore for smart metering. Average electricity supply has also improved, rising to 22.6 hours in rural areas and 23.4 hours in urban areas in FY 2025-26.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Good to see the focus on storage - 15,870 MW of pumped storage and 15,754 MW of battery storage is impressive. That's the key to making renewable energy reliable. But why is solar getting all the attention? What about wind and hydro? We need a balanced mix, not just one-dimensional growth.
22.6 hours of power in rural areas? Sir, that's the national average. Our village still sees 4-5 hours of load shedding in summer. Either the data doesn't capture ground reality or our discom is sleeping. Government should focus on last-mile delivery rather than just publishing impressive national numbers.
The growth since 2014 is indeed commendable - 324 GW added! But my concern is the transmission infrastructure. 1,20,340 MW inter-regional capacity sounds great, but what about intra-state lines? In many states, power is available at the grid but can't reach the consumer due to weak state networks. That's where the real bottleneck lies.
Great to see the forward-looking approach with 10-year Resource Adequacy Plans and targeting 874 GW by 2031-32. But one thing I don't get - if we're already power-sufficient, why are we still building 47,545 MW of thermal capacity? Shouldn't we be phasing that out and going all-in on renewables?
Impressive numbers from India's power sector. The 0.03% energy gap is remarkable by global standards. As an energy analyst, I can say that the focus on battery storage
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