India's Energy Miracle: How Bold Vision Transformed Power Scarcity to Global Leadership

He stated that this transformation was not accidental, but driven by a clear vision and consistent efforts. He added that India has transitioned from power scarcity to power security, and now towards power sustainability.

Goyal expressed confidence that as India marches towards Viksit Bharat at 2047, the country’s energy sector will emerge as a global case study in managing scale, speed and sustainability together.

Addressing a briefing here, the minister said the country recorded its highest-ever coal production of 1,048 million tonnes in FY 2024–25, while coal imports declined by around 8 per cent.

He added that India’s solar power capacity has increased 46 times in the last 11 years, making the country the third-largest globally, while wind power capacity has grown from 21 GW in 2014 to 53 GW in 2025.

Goyal further stated that India has emerged as the fourth-largest refining hub in the world and is working to increase its refining capacity by 20 per cent.

The minister informed that 34,238 km of natural gas pipeline has been authorised, of which 25,923 km is operational.

He also mentioned the SHANTI Bill, which seeks to allow private players to participate in the nuclear energy sector.

Goyal further stated that this transformation rests on five key pillars.

The first pillar of India’s energy sector transformation is universal access. He stated that electricity has been provided to every household under the Saubhagya scheme, and 47.4 crore LED bulbs have been distributed under the UJALA programme, resulting in savings on electricity bills and reduction in carbon emissions.

The second pillar is affordability. He noted that GST on solar, wind and other clean energy equipment was reduced from 12 per cent to 5 per cent. The minister added that the ethanol blending target of 20 per cent was achieved ahead of schedule, which was originally set for 2030.

He further stated that inter-State transmission charges have been waived for the sale of solar and wind power.

The third pillar is availability. Power shortages have declined from 4.2 per cent in 2013 to 0.1 per cent in 2025. The creation of a unified national grid has enabled India to meet a record peak power demand of 250 GW.

The fourth pillar is financial viability. Reforms under the PM-UDAY scheme have strengthened the power distribution sector, and that DISCOM dues were reduced from Rs 1.4 lakh crore in 2022 to Rs 6,500 crore in 2025.

Goyal said that the fifth pillar is sustainability and global responsibility. He noted that India has become the first G20 country to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, and that 50 per cent of the country’s installed power capacity now comes from non-fossil fuel sources.

- IANS