Latest news with #ManoharLal
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Power sector needs ₹42 lakh crore by 2032; Centre flags tariff reforms, transmission gaps at regional meet
New Delhi: India's peak power demand is expected to reach 270 GW by the end of 2025, up from 250 GW recorded in May and 242 GW so far this year, Union Power Minister Manohar Lal said at the Regional Conference for Eastern Region States and Union Territories held in Patna. The Minister said the national grid had transformed into a unified network under the ' One Nation-One Grid ' vision, adding that coordinated planning between the Centre and states was key to ensuring uninterrupted power supply in the coming decade. The country's peak power demand is projected to rise to 446 GW by FY2034–35, he noted. 'The power sector needs an estimated investment of ₹42 lakh crore by 2032. This requires states to ensure resource adequacy, tie up generation capacity, and adopt balanced energy portfolios that include nuclear, renewable and conventional sources,' he said. The meeting was attended by Minister of State for Power and Renewable Energy Shripad Yesso Naik, Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Bihar Energy Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Jharkhand's Urban Development Minister Sudivya Kumar, and top officials from the Ministry of Power, along with CMDs of key central and state-owned power firms. Manohar Lal said each state should plan for at least one nuclear power plant and expedite approvals to strengthen intra-state transmission. He said ₹1.5 lakh crore in 50-year interest-free loans had been allocated under the 2025–26 Union Budget for capital expenditures by states, including transmission upgrades. 'The share of renewables in India's total power generation has risen from 32% in 2014 to 49% in April 2025. States must promote renewable energy with storage systems and enforce Renewable Purchase Obligations,' the Minister said, adding that India targets 100 GW of nuclear energy capacity by 2047. He urged states to resolve RoW (Right of Way) issues in intra-state transmission, explore diverse funding sources including listing of utilities and tapping multilateral institutions, and adopt power islanding schemes to safeguard against cyberattacks. The Minister said smart metering was key to improving discom efficiency and reducing payment delays. 'States should ensure prepaid smart meters in all government buildings and colonies by August 2025, and for commercial and industrial users by November 2025,' he said. Shripad Yesso Naik asked states to complete PM-KUSUM projects by December 2025 and expedite the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana. Power Secretary Pankaj Agarwal urged states to finalise generation capacity tie-ups aligned with their resource adequacy plans through mechanisms such as TBCB and RTM. He also emphasised the need for grid security protocols and cyber resilience in distribution and transmission networks. States were advised to engage with regulatory commissions to ensure timely tariff orders and bridge the gap between Average Cost of Supply (ACS) and Average Revenue Realisation (ARR) to improve financial viability of power utilities.
United News of India
5 days ago
- Business
- United News of India
Centre ready to set up first nuclear power plant in Bihar
Patna, 24 June (UNI) Taking a major step towards promoting nuclear energy across the country, the central government today approved the Bihar government's proposal to set up a nuclear power plant in the state. Union Power Minister Manohar Lal made this announcement at the Power Ministers' Conference here. The Minister said: 'If the Bihar government sets up a nuclear power plant, the Central Government is fully prepared to provide support. We aim to set up a nuclear power plant in every state to ensure the country's energy security.' He added: 'There is also a request from Bihar government for a 1,000 MW battery storage project under Viability Gap Funding (VGF), and we have given in-principle approval for that as well.' He said India is fulfilling whatever power requirement is there in the country. Until a few years ago, India was known as a power-deficient country. However, today, India is not only fulfilling its needs but also exporting power to countries like Myanmar, Bhutan and Bangladesh. He noted that India successfully met a peak power demand of 250 GW in May 2024 and 242 GW thus far in 2025. But the peak demand is projected to rise further, reaching approximately 270 GW later this year. He said: 'India's peak electricity demand is projected to reach 446 GW by 2034–35 and meeting this sustainably requires proactive planning and continued coordination between the centre, states, and other stakeholders.' The Minister laid emphasis on ensuring Resource Adequacy and necessary power generation capacity tie-ups and advised states to ensure a balanced and diversified power generation mix. This should include the addition of nuclear generation capacity, with an aim to establish at least one nuclear power project in each state. The minister remarked that states should promote renewable energy coupled with energy storage systems in order to ensure reliability of supply of power. He mentioned India is moving towards having an increased share of renewable energy and the same has increased from 32% in 2014 to 49% in April 2025. He also highlighted the national ambition to achieve 100 GW of nuclear energy by 2047. He urged the states for reinforced implementation of Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) mandates and called upon them to form dedicated teams for these critical planning. A vision paper- 2035 was also prepared for the power sector, the Minister said adding that the country was already extensively working on Thermal Power, Solar Energy, wind power and projects related to storage of energy. UNI XC RS SSP
NDTV
5 days ago
- Business
- NDTV
Nuclear Power Plant To Be Set Up In Bihar, Says Union Minister
Patna: Union Power Minister Manohar Lal on Tuesday said that a nuclear power plant and a 1,000 MW battery storage capacity unit would be set up in Bihar. He praised the Bihar government's initiatives in the power sector such as reducing aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses, installing 80 lakh smart meters and carrying out reforms in the sector. "Bihar had demanded a nuclear power plant besides allocation of additional power to it to tide it over the situation in summer. We have asked states to set up at least one nuclear power plant in their respective states... We will help Bihar in setting up a nuclear plant in the state," he said. He, however, did not divulge the details as to where in the state the plant would be set up and what will be its capacity in terms of megawatt. Mr Lal was speaking to reporters here after a one-day Eastern Region Power Ministers' Conference where different aspects and problems relating to the power sector were discussed by states in the region. He said that a 1,000 MW battery storage capacity unit will be set up in Bihar. "We have given in-principle approval to the proposal," the minister said, adding that it will depend on the generation of renewable energy. Lauding the reforms carried out by the Bihar government in the power sector, the Union minister said, "Bihar has done a tremendous work in improving the distribution system. It deserves kudos for carrying out power sector reforms especially for reducing AT&C (aggregate technical & commercial) losses, besides installing a record 80 lakh smart meters." Bihar was lagging behind in the power sector but it has done a considerably good job, he added. The Union Power Ministry has agreed to the Bihar government's demand for the supply of an additional 500 MW for the next six months, the minister said, while assuring adequate supply of power to states from the central quota if they face power shortage. Stating that cyber security has become a big issue, the minister said that nefarious designs to thwart power supply systems failed during 'Operation Sindoor' and "our system remained intact". Giving the slogan of 'power for all at all times', the Union minister said, "We have become a power surplus country. We are not only meeting our requirements but also exporting surplus power to other countries." Last year, the peak power demand was 250 GW in the country and it was expected to increase to 270 GW this year but so far, the peak power demand has reached 242 GW, he said, adding that it is expected that the power may increase further by September. "Today, we are meeting the demand of power supply in the country as we have surplus power. But 10 years ago, in 2013-14, there was a power deficiency in the country. There was 4.5 per cent power shortage in the country," he said, while stating that India was, then, known as "power deficient" country. The meeting was attended by Union Minister of State for Power and Renewable Energy Shripad Yesso Naik, Deputy Chief Minister of Odisha Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Bihar Energy Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav and Jharkhand Urban Development and Housing Minister Sudivya Kumar, among others. Mr Lal also underscored the importance of cybersecurity in the power sector and spoke about 'islanding schemes' as effective measures to prevent power outages owing to cyber incidents and enable resilience of the grid. He assured the states of continuous support of the central government to further strengthen the power sector.
Mint
5 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Power minister rings alarm on cyber threats, wants nuclear plants nationwide
New Delhi: Union power minister Manohar Lal on Tuesday asked state governments to take all necessary measures to safeguard India's power ecosystem against cybersecurity threats, and urged states to build at least one nuclear plant in their respective states to give a boost to this form of energy. The minister asked for cybersecurity safeguards for power sector infrastructure, particularly transmission grids and distribution networks, and advised the states to implement appropriate cybersecurity protocols and adopt power islanding schemes. Such schemes can isolate a portion of a power grid during a disturbance and continue to run independently, thereby preventing a grid-wide blackout. The recommendation gains significance as the country witnessed several disturbances in the Indian power grid during the recent conflict with Pakistan. The minister was speaking in Patna at a regional conference on power for India's eastern states. The meeting was attended by Shripad Yesso Naik, Union minister of state for power and renewable energy; Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, deputy chief minister, Odisha; Bijendra Prasad Yadav, energy minister of Bihar; and Sudivya Kumar, urban development and housing minister, Jharkhand. The meeting was also attended by Union power secretary Pankaj Agarwal, secretaries for power of participating states, and executives of central and state power sector entities. The minister urged states to include nuclear power in their resource adequacy plans and asked them to consider setting up at least one nuclear power plant in each state. His remark assumes significance in the backdrop of India setting an ambitious target of 100GW for installed nuclear power capacity by 2047. Towards this end, the government is also set to allow private players to set up nuclear power plants in the country. Speaking about power demand, the minister noted that India successfully met a the record peak demand of 250GW in May last year. This year, the country has witnessed a peak demand of 241GW thus far. The projection for this year is a fresh high of 270GW peak power demand. The minister also asked states to work towards resolving the issues faced in development of intra-state transmission projects, including right of way (RoW), which is a major issue in terms of growth of transmission network. Right of way refers to the legal permission to go through or use someone's private land. In the previous financial year (FY25), only 8,830 circuit kilometres (ckm) of transmission lines were added, 37.8% lower than 14,203ckm in the previous fiscal, according to data from the Central Electricity Authority. Speaking on the share of renewable energy in the country, Lal mentioned that the share of renewable energy in India's energy mix has increased from 32% in 2014 to 49% in April 2025. He urged states to promote renewable energy along with energy storage systems in order to ensure reliability of supply of power. He also urged the states to implement renewable purchase obligation (RPO), which mandates power distribution companies to procure and supply green power. The minister remarked that while the distribution sector is the most critical link in the power sector value chain, requiring an estimated ₹ 42 trillion by 2032, it faces challenges due to poor tariff structures, sub-optimal billing and collection, and delayed payments of government department dues and subsidies.
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Business Standard
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Power minister urges states to plan nuclear projects to meet rising demand
Union Power Minister Manohar Lal on Tuesday urged states to include nuclear energy in their future power planning, as part of a broader push for a balanced and sustainable energy mix. As part of this planning, he highlighted the importance of a diversified power generation mix. 'While formulating their Resource Adequacy Plans, states should also ensure a balanced and diversified power generation mix. This should include the addition of nuclear generation capacity, with an aim to establish at least one nuclear power project in each state,' he said at the Regional Power Conference with eastern states and Union Territories held in Patna. He also highlighted the national goal of achieving 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047. According to a statement by the Department of Atomic Energy in 2024, India had a nuclear power capacity of 8.18 GW across 24 reactors. The minister also called for coordinated efforts between the Centre and states to meet India's rising power demands and strengthen the power system. Lal pointed out that peak electricity demand had already reached 250 GW in May 2024 and 242 GW so far in 2025, with projections showing a further increase to 270 GW by the end of the year. 'India's peak electricity demand is projected to reach 446 GW by 2034–35 and meeting this sustainably requires proactive planning and continued coordination between the Centre, states, and other stakeholders,' he said. Focus on renewable energy Besides nuclear power, the minister also underlined the need to expand renewable energy and storage. 'States should promote renewable energy coupled with energy storage systems in order to ensure reliability of supply of power,' he said. India's renewable share in the energy mix has risen from 32 per cent in 2014 to 49 per cent in April 2025, he added. Need for better efficiency As for efficiency and financial sustainability, the minister said that the distribution sector is the most critical link in the power sector value chain; however, it is marred by poor tariff structures, sub-optimal billing and collection, and delayed payments of dues and subsidies by government departments. 'The power sector requires an estimated ₹42 lakh crore by 2032,' he said, while stating that financial losses in distribution add to costs for consumers and degrade service quality. 'States should engage with the Electricity Regulatory Commissions for cost-reflective tariffs and timely issuance of tariff and true-up orders,' he added. He further asked the states to complete prepaid smart meter installation in all government establishments, including colonies, by August 2025, and for commercial, industrial and high-load consumers by November 2025. 'The pre-paid smart meters are a way to ensure timely release of government department dues,' he noted.
