Draft National Electricity Transmission Plan: Call for urgent rethink towards green, decentralized energy future

By A Representative

In a detailed and critical response to the Draft National Electricity Plan (Volume II – Transmission) released by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), veteran power and climate policy analyst Shankar Sharma has raised serious concerns about what he calls an “unsustainable and ecologically damaging” approach to expanding India’s electricity transmission infrastructure.

Sharma’s feedback document challenges the current trajectory of the National Electricity Plan, warning that a business-as-usual (BAU) approach—focused on massive expansion of Extra High Voltage (EHV) and Ultra High Voltage (UHV) lines—will come at enormous social, environmental, and financial costs.

“The draft plan ignores the constitutional mandate to protect the environment,” Sharma writes, citing Articles 48A and 51A(g) of the Indian Constitution. “It is time we ask whether the continuous expansion of electricity infrastructure, without considering ecological and climate impacts, is truly in the national interest.”

Sharma warns that the projected increase in electricity demand—doubling every 8–10 years based on a 6.4% CAGR—will demand transmission expansions that threaten forests, agricultural land, and biodiversity hotspots. He cites examples of 400 kV transmission lines being planned through ecologically sensitive areas like the Nagarahole Wildlife Sanctuary and the Anshi Tiger Reserve. “There is a shocking disregard for environmental costs,” Sharma stated. “For instance, felling over 50,000 mature trees for a single power line to Kerala, when multiple lines already exist, is indefensible.”

One of Sharma’s central arguments is the underutilization of distributed renewable energy sources, particularly rooftop solar systems. He notes that India's rooftop solar potential alone is estimated at 650 GW, and the actual requirement for transmission lines could drastically reduce if this potential is tapped. “If rooftop solar and mini/micro grids are optimally utilized, many of the existing transmission lines may become redundant,” Sharma said. “Our policymakers are missing an opportunity to design a truly sustainable and decentralized power system.” He emphasized the growing global trend towards smart microgrids, citing developments in South Australia, the Indian Railways’ net-zero ambitions, and rural electrification models across Europe.

Sharma also highlighted the increasing vulnerability of centralized power grids to climate-related disasters such as heatwaves, storms, and floods. He cited blackouts in New Zealand, the U.S., and Brazil to argue that “highly integrated grids come with high systemic risks.” “Why must we continue building large, complex networks when smarter, localized systems can offer better reliability and lower risk?” Sharma questioned.

Sharma proposes a federated network of smart microgrids powered by rooftop solar, bioenergy, wind, and supported by battery storage systems (BESS). He called for a shift in planning focus—from transmission-heavy to distribution-focused strategies that enhance community resilience, reduce AT&C losses, and minimize ecological disruption. “Instead of pouring trillions into new transmission corridors, we should be investing in distributed energy systems and robust local grids,” Sharma urged.

In his critique, Sharma accuses the CEA of neglecting environmental priorities, ignoring the true implications of climate change, and failing to integrate the goals of the India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF). “The plan seems divorced from the PM’s recent announcement to install rooftop solar on one crore homes,” Sharma wrote. “There is no serious assessment of the ecological costs, no mention of minimizing land diversion, and no strategy to decommission outdated lines.”

Shankar Sharma's submission calls for a fundamental rethinking of India’s transmission strategy—one that aligns with sustainability goals, promotes decentralized energy systems, and reduces the societal and ecological costs of energy infrastructure. “We need a different paradigm,” he concludes, “where generation, transmission, and distribution are planned holistically, with the environment and social equity at the center—not as afterthoughts.”

The CEA has yet to issue a response to the feedback received during the public consultation phase. With India aiming for a green transition, Sharma’s recommendations pose a crucial test for the future direction of the country’s energy policy.

Comments

Whither space for the marginalised in Kerala's privately-driven townships after landslides?

By Ipshita Basu, Sudheesh R.C. In the early hours of July 30 2024, a landslide in the Wayanad district of Kerala state, India, killed 400 people. The Punjirimattom, Mundakkai, Vellarimala and Chooralmala villages in the Western Ghats mountain range turned into a dystopian rubble of uprooted trees and debris.

Election bells ringing in Nepal: Can ousted premier Oli return to power?

By Nava Thakuria* Nepal is preparing for a national election necessitated by the collapse of KP Sharma Oli’s government at the height of a Gen Z rebellion (youth uprising) in September 2025. The polls are scheduled for 5 March. The Himalayan nation last conducted a general election in 2022, with the next polls originally due in 2027. However, following the dissolution of Nepal’s lower house of Parliament last year by President Ram Chandra Poudel, the electoral process began under the patronage of an interim government installed on 12 September under the leadership of retired Supreme Court judge Sushila Karki. The Hindu-majority nation of over 29 million people will witness more than 3,400 electoral candidates, including 390 women, representing 68 political parties as well as independents, vying for 165 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives.

Gig workers hold online strike on republic day; nationwide protests planned on February 3

By A Representative Gig and platform service workers across the country observed a nationwide online strike on Republic Day, responding to a call given by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU) to protest what it described as exploitation, insecurity and denial of basic worker rights in the platform economy. The union said women gig workers led the January 26 action by switching off their work apps as a mark of protest.

'Condonation of war crimes against women and children’: IPSN on Trump’s Gaza Board

By A Representative The India-Palestine Solidarity Network (IPSN) has strongly condemned the announcement of a proposed “Board of Peace” for Gaza and Palestine by former US President Donald J. Trump, calling it an initiative that “condones war crimes against children and women” and “rubs salt in Palestinian wounds.”

India’s road to sustainability: Why alternative fuels matter beyond electric vehicles

By Suyash Gupta* India’s worsening air quality makes the shift towards clean mobility urgent. However, while electric vehicles (EVs) are central to India’s strategy, they alone cannot address the country’s diverse pollution and energy challenges.

With infant mortality rate of 5, better than US, guarantee to live is 'alive' in Kerala

By Nabil Abdul Majeed, Nitheesh Narayanan In 1945, two years prior to India's independence, the current Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, was born into a working-class family in northern Kerala. He was his mother’s fourteenth child; of the thirteen siblings born before him, only two survived. His mother was an agricultural labourer and his father a toddy tapper. They belonged to a downtrodden caste, deemed untouchable under the Indian caste system.

Jayanthi Natarajan "never stood by tribals' rights" in MNC Vedanta's move to mine Niyamigiri Hills in Odisha

By A Representative The Odisha Chapter of the Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD), which played a vital role in the struggle for the enactment of historic Forest Rights Act, 2006 has blamed former Union environment minister Jaynaynthi Natarjan for failing to play any vital role to defend the tribals' rights in the forest areas during her tenure under the former UPA government. Countering her recent statement that she rejected environmental clearance to Vendanta, the top UK-based NMC, despite tremendous pressure from her colleagues in Cabinet and huge criticism from industry, and the claim that her decision was “upheld by the Supreme Court”, the CSD said this is simply not true, and actually she "disrespected" FRA.

MGNREGA: How caste and power hollowed out India’s largest welfare law

By Sudhir Katiyar, Mallica Patel* The sudden dismantling of MGNREGA once again exposes the limits of progressive legislation in the absence of transformation of a casteist, semi-feudal rural society. Over two days in the winter session, the Modi government dismantled one of the most progressive legislations of the UPA regime—the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

Fragmented opposition and identity politics shaping Tamil Nadu’s 2026 election battle

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* Tamil Nadu is set to go to the polls in April 2026, and the political battle lines are beginning to take shape. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state on January 23, 2026, marked the formal launch of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s campaign against the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). Addressing multiple public meetings, the Prime Minister accused the DMK government of corruption, criminality, and dynastic politics, and called for Tamil Nadu to be “freed from DMK’s chains.” PM Modi alleged that the DMK had turned Tamil Nadu into a drug-ridden state and betrayed public trust by governing through what he described as “Corruption, Mafia and Crime,” derisively terming it “CMC rule.” He claimed that despite making numerous promises, the DMK had failed to deliver meaningful development. He also targeted what he described as the party’s dynastic character, arguing that the government functioned primarily for the benefit of a single family a...

Search This Blog