Cutting Out Work for Ministry of Power in Modi 3.0, ET EnergyWorld

New Delhi: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins his third term, the Ministry of Power under the leadership of Manohar Lal Khattar has chalked out a significant program to ensure that India achieves its ambitious energy targets by 2030. The focus will be primarily on increasing renewable energy capacity and integrating advanced technologies to stabilize the network.

Anujesh Dwivedi, partner at Deloitte India, outlined several key steps to achieve the target renewable energy generation capacity of 500 GW. “To accelerate the expansion of renewable energy capacity, achieving the target of 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030 will require additional resources beyond current interventions,” Dwivedi noted. He emphasized the need for corporate purchasing of renewable energy under Green Open Access, continuous support for renewable energy production and dedicated programs for new solar energy applications. Implementing distributed RE obligation (DREO) and facilitating access to green finance were also highlighted as key measures.

Additionally, Dwivedi mentioned the importance of investing in power distribution networks to cope with the increasing frequency of extreme weather events and downstream distribution network congestion. He also highlighted the need for grid automation to effectively integrate large-scale distributed renewable energy and electric vehicles. “The construction of new coal-fired thermal power plants with a capacity of 80,000 MW by 2031-2032 has been announced,” he added, pointing to upcoming implementation activities.

On the services front, Dwivedi suggested a change in the approach of state-owned DISCOMs towards customer service, proposing a reform along the lines of the Passport Seva Kendra model to improve customer interactions.

Reiterating the sentiment of a solid policy framework, Akshay Hiranandani, CEO of Serentica Renewables, praised the previous term’s efforts to support green energy initiatives and transmission development. “I congratulate the Ministry for its commendable efforts over the last five years,” Hiranandani said. He expressed expectation for further policy support to ensure comprehensive change in the discom regime and extension of ISTS derogation to sustain the adoption of renewable energy.

Additionally, an official from the Ministry of Energy commented on the strategic goals for the upcoming term. “The next stage is to consolidate our gains in the renewable energy sector and ensure our network is robust enough to cope with this transformation. We are looking at improving our interconnections with neighboring countries and investing in energy storage solutions,” the official said.

Through a mix of new and ongoing projects, including the integration of innovative technologies such as small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs), the ministry aims to diversify India’s energy mix and prepare for large-scale renewable energy integration.