Non-fossil fuel-based power generation capacity to be 68.4% by 2031-32

The power ministry on Wednesday unveiled the National Electricity Plan (NEP), according to which India's non-fossil fuel-based power generation capacity is expected to witness an increase of 68.4 per cent of the total installed capacity in 2031-2032.

According to a PTI report, at present, the non-fossil fuel-based capacity is at 42.5 per cent. This gains significance as India aims to achieve its net zero targets by 2070 and get 500 Gigawatt (GW) of renewable energy (RE) by 2030.

The NEP also predicts that the share of non-fossil-based capacity is likely to increase to 57.4 per cent by the end of 2026-27 and may further increase to 68.4 per cent by the end of 2031-32 from around 42.5 per cent as of April 2023, the report said, citing a power ministry statement.

The plan was released today and consists of a review of the last five years (2017-2022) along with a detailed plan for the next five years (2022- 2027) and a prospective plan for the next five years (2027-2032). 

The report also added, "According to the NEP document, the projected All India peak electricity demand and electrical energy requirement is 277.2 GW and 1907.8 BU (billion units) for the year 2026-27 and 366.4 GW and 2473.8 BU for the year 2031-32 as per 20th Electric Power Survey (EPS) Demand projections."

It further added that the average plant load factor (PLF) or capacity utilisation of the total installed coal capacity of 235.1 GW is likely to be about 58.4 per cent in 2026-27 and that of 259.6 GW of coal-based capacity is likely to be about 58.7 per cent in 2031-32.

The domestic coal requirement is estimated to be 866.4 million tonnes (MT) for 2026-2027, whereas for 2031-2032, it will be 1025.8 million tonnes.

(With inputs from PTI)