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Business Standard
7 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.
Indian Express
07-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
‘Will launch pilot project to install solar houses in Haryana soon': Khattar on Vij's proposal
The Ministry of Power 'will soon launch a pilot project to install solar houses across Haryana', Union Energy Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Friday, adding that if successful, it will eventually be expanded to other states. A solar house, also known as a solar home system (SHS), utilises solar panels to generate electricity from sunlight, which can then be used to power a home's electrical needs. The system can either be on-grid (connect to power grid) or off-grid (operate independently of grid). The announcement came after Haryana Energy Minister Anil Vij — during the Regional Power Conference with northern states and union territories, in Chandigarh on Friday — suggested the construction of solar houses in Haryana villages, to 'meet farmers' rising power needs'. Currently, many in Haryana villages have 10-kilowatt (kW) solar panels, Vij said. 'For higher capacity needs, dedicated solar houses will be more feasible. They require reliable electricity supply for agricultural activities, regardless of the source — solar, Bhakra or power central pool. Thus, a comprehensive solar project should be implemented to benefit all the stakeholders.' 'The state government has been working on promoting the use of solar energy across Haryana, so that it becomes self-reliant in the power sector. The Energy Department should run a pilot project to install solar houses across Haryana, and if successful, it could be expanded to other regions of the state,' Vij added. Khattar said India's renewable energy share in the total installed power capacity has increased to 49 per cent in April 2025 from 32 per cent in 2014. The minister said states should also work on having an adequate power generation mix, including the addition of nuclear generation capacity while meeting their resource adequacy plan. He also pointed out that states should complete the installation of prepaid smart metres in government establishments and colonies by August 2025 and for all commercial, industrial and high-load consumers by November 2025. States should work towards listing power sector utilities to generate additional resources and improve transparency and governance, the minister noted. 'We successfully met a peak demand of 250 GW in May 2024 and India has transformed from power-deficit to a power-sufficient nation and as of today, peak demand shortage is zero,' he said. He outlined the importance of continuous cooperation and coordination between central and state governments in achieving the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047. 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 stakeholders, the minister said. He also advised states to implement Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) Guidelines and urged them to form dedicated teams for this critical planning. The minister highlighted the importance of cyber-security measures and islanding schemes as effective measures to prevent power outages due to cyber concerns and enable the resilience of the grid. Earlier, Vij urged Khattar to approve the 'viability gap funding for a 600 megawatt-hour (MWh) Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Haryana', while requesting 'early approval' for Rs 3,179.47-crore proposals under the Revised Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) to strengthen supply systems in Sonepat and Jhajjar, and Rs 142 crore for the pending proposal of a 33 kV substation augmentation under the LRP plan. The Haryana Energy Minister also proposed a policy to 'regulate the installation of poles, substations and transmission lines' on agricultural fields and residential areas, in a bid to prevent inconvenience to stakeholders, while suggesting 'underground cabling' in densely populated or sensitive areas. The meeting was attended by Anil Vij ( Energy Minister, Haryana), Harbhajan Singh ( Power Minister, Punjab), Subodh Uniyal (Forest Minister, Uttarakhand), A K Sharma ( Energy Minister, Uttar Pradesh), Ashish Sood (Power Minister, Delhi), Javed Ahmad Rana (Jal Shakti, Environment & Forest & Tribal Affairs, Jammu & Kashmir) and Heeralal Nagar (Energy Minister of State, Rajasthan).
