India has launched a Rs 9.15 trillion plan to overhaul its power infrastructure, aiming to meet a projected peak demand of 458 GW by 2032. Announced by Union Minister Manohar Lal, the National Electricity Plan 2023-2032 outlines an ambitious strategy to enhance the transmission network and bolster the nation's energy security under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.

""Our power infrastructure is crucial to national security and economic stability,"" said Manohar Lal during a press conference in New Delhi. The plan focuses on expanding the grid to accommodate emerging technologies like renewable energy and green hydrogen.

The transmission network will grow from 485,000 circuit kilometers (ckm) in 2024 to 6.48 lakh ckm by 2032, while the transformation capacity will increase from 1,251 GVA to 2,342 GVA. Additionally, 50 GW of Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) capacity has been approved to support the evacuation of 280 GW of variable renewable energy (VRE) by 2030, with 42 GW already completed and more under construction or in bidding phases.

Manohar Lal highlighted investments of Rs 606.76 billion to facilitate renewable energy evacuation across states like Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and Rajasthan, while also emphasising the electrification of 83,596 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) households and agricultural feeder segregation to improve rural power reliability.

Further, the minister introduced a new Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT-Power) to protect critical infrastructure from cyber threats, along with updated guidelines for electric vehicle charging infrastructure to promote EV adoption nationwide.

(ET)