In a comprehensive representation addressed to the Secretary of Power and senior Union officials, prominent Power and Climate Policy Analyst Shankar Sharma has called for an urgent paradigm shift in India's power sector, warning that a failure to implement a holistic National Energy Policy could lead to unmitigated ecological and social disasters.
Citing multiple credible projections that indicate electricity demand will increase two to three times by 2050, Sharma emphasized that India immediately requires 10 GWh of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) to prevent massive renewable energy curtailment.
According to recent energy data, solar energy now shapes daily grid operations, but coal’s flexibility limits are already leading to significant renewable energy curtailment, which was estimated to result in substantial financial losses of ₹629 crore of foregone electricity in recent cycles.
Sharma questioned the current technological preference of authorities toward Pumped Hydro Storage (PSP), noting that while India targets 100 GW of PSP by 2035-36, such infrastructure will take 10 to 15 years to deliver the needed storage capacity. In contrast, BESS technology can achieve a 10 GWh capacity in just two to three years at much lower societal costs.
The representation raised critical concerns over whether planned additions of 97,000 MW of coal and lignite-based thermal capacity by 2035, alongside 100,000 MW of nuclear power capacity by 2047, are consistent with an ever-increasing share of renewable energy. Without adequate energy storage, the financial and economic losses from renewable energy curtailment will become unacceptable for the country.
The analyst further highlighted the severe resource strains associated with such massive thermal and nuclear expansions, pointing out that the diversion of vast forest and agricultural lands for power plants and transmission lines will degrade ecological health and agricultural output.
Furthermore, the massive amounts of fresh water required to support additional thermal and nuclear capacities will aggravate water security threats. These constraints are compounded by the skyrocketing energy and water demands of data centers emerging in the AI era.
Sharma warned that these compounding pressures must be evaluated against the stark reality of climate change, pointing to acute monsoon deficits, a globally defined era of water bankruptcy, and recent grid resilience gaps where dust storms in Rajasthan collapsed transmission towers and cut 500 MW of renewables.
To build a climate-resilient India, Sharma urged the Union government to move away from large-scale power projects and instead prioritize small-size renewable energy sources, such as rooftop solar PV systems, BESS, micro-grids, and effective demand-side management.
The representation cited the successful model of Gujarat in popularizing distributed solar PV systems as an ideal blueprint for the nation. Before investing heavily in massive energy supply infrastructure, the country must prioritize energy-efficiency improvements across all sectors, including high-efficiency appliances, industrial energy optimization, and energy-efficient irrigation pump sets. Given that India’s net-zero transition bill could hit $22.7 trillion, adopting sustainability practices at low societal costs is deemed a strategic necessity.
Sharma concluded by appealing to the Union government to urgently finalize a comprehensive National Energy Policy to ensure long-term energy, water, and food security for the country.
The scale of proposed coal and nuclear expansion raises important questions about long-term sustainability and climate goals. It’s definitely a topic that needs more transparent public discussion.
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