Stakeholders meet to discuss energy and infrastructure resilience in India
New Delhi, July 23
In a joint assessment of risks to India's infrastructure sector, industry leaders along with government and civil society members explored measures to improve its resilience.
Infrastructure resilience is emerging as one of the most important challenges as electricity demand surges and risks to energy systems intensify.
The stakeholder consultation was organised by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).
Energy systems face a multitude of threats from natural hazards to cybersecurity. The IEA identified nearly 300 weather-related disruptions to energy systems in 2023 alone, affecting more than 210 million households and impacting business activity.
Safeguarding energy systems is critical for protecting economic growth from sudden shocks like extreme weather events and cybersecurity incidents. India is particularly at risk, with extreme heat events, cyclones and floods posing a continuous risk.
"As extreme weather intensifies, ensuring India's power grid resilience is vital for sustained growth. This CDRI IEA collaboration blends global expertise with local insight to close resilience gaps and secure a climate-ready energy future," Ramraj Narasimhan, Senior Director Programme Management & Technical Support, CDRI said.
An MoU signed between IEA and CDRI in December 2025 will deepen the cooperation to examine risks facing India's infrastructure and explore measures to reduce vulnerabilities and strengthen preparedness across the energy sector.
The sessions dealt with risks to India's power system, policies and measures to safeguard infrastructure, and the role of implementation, regulation, insurance and finance in supporting resilience.
"As extreme weather intensifies, ensuring India's power grid resilience is vital for sustained growth. This CDRI IEA collaboration blends global expertise with local insight to close resilience gaps and secure a climate-ready energy future," Ramraj Narasimhan, Senior Director Programme Management & Technical Support, CDRI, said.
Daniel Wetzel, Head of the Tracking Sustainable Transitions Unit at the IEA, said: "Electricity systems globally are growing rapidly at a time when resilience risks are multiplying. This study and the Indian example can be a template of good resilience practices that countries rely on to secure their energy supply."
— ANI
Reader Comments
Good that MoU was signed in December 2025 itself - proactive thinking! But honestly, we've had so many committees and consultations. The real challenge is execution. Our state electricity boards are already struggling with finances and AT&C losses. Grid resilience is great, but we also need to fix the basics - smart meters, reducing theft, and investing in decentralized renewable microgrids for rural areas. 🌞⚡
As someone who lived through Hurricane Sandy in the US and now the heatwaves in Mumbai, I can say infrastructure resilience is a global challenge. India's vulnerability is unique though - the sheer population density and the fact that so many depend on reliable power for everything from medical equipment to small businesses. The weather disruptions affecting 210 million households is staggering. Let's hope this isn't just another talk shop. 🙏
I appreciate the CDRI-IEA partnership but what about our own institutions? We have NDMA, IMD, and state disaster management authorities - do they coordinate enough? Also, insurance and finance part is crucial. Many small businesses never recover after a cyclone because they lack coverage. Need policies that make resilience affordable for common man, not just industry. 🌪️💰
From a Canadian perspective, we have similar challenges with ice storms and wildfires threatening our grid. India's approach with CDRI blending global expertise with local realities is smart. The extreme heat events are only going to get worse with climate change. But I wonder about cybersecurity risks mentioned - are our power control systems robust enough? That's a silent threat that could be more damaging than any cyclone. 🔒⚡
P We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.