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electricity generation has increased
from 1,168 billion units to an
estimated 1,824 billion units. In the
same period, per capita electricity
consumption surged by nearly 46%,
reflecting the rapid expansion of
industry, urbanisation, and energy
access.
India’s growing industrialisation,
electric mobility, and expanding
energy access are steadily increasing
pressure on the transmission system.
Without timely upgrades, transmis-
sion could become a bottleneck
limiting power delivery, restricting
generation capacity and holding
back growth.
There’s
another
layer
to
this
challenge: climate resilience. India’s
power infrastructure must now be
prepared
to
withstand
extreme
weather events that are becoming
more frequent due to climate change.
Floods, storms, heatwaves, and other
natural disasters can severely disrupt
transmission lines and substations.
Future-ready
infrastructure
must
prioritize resilience, including un-
derground cabling where feasible,
multiple transmission routes, and
fast restoration systems to ensure
reliable power delivery. India has
already proven it can solve big
challenges.
Power shortages have plummeted
from 4.2% in 2013–14 to just 0.1%
in 2024–25. This is a remarkable
achievement
and
reflects
the
dedicated efforts of policymakers,
power companies, and grid opera-
tors. However, to keep the system
reliable in the years ahead, we’ll
need to build infrastructure that’s not
just faster and smarter, but also
better prepared for the impacts of
climate change.
To support India’s clean energy
future, the transmission grid must
evolve from a passive carrier to a
smart, responsive backbone of the
power sector. To meet the new
challenges more High Voltage Direct
Current (HVDC), Flexible Alternat-
ing Current Transmission Systems
(FACTS),
Energy
Storage
like
Pumped Storage Plant (PSP) and
Battery Energy Storage System
(BESS) will be added to the grid.
This will need moving beyond tradi-
tional expansion to future-ready
planning - integrating digital tools
for planning (one consolidated data-
base), monitoring protection set-
tings, forecasting systems, agile
monitoring and control tools to build
a climate-resilient design into every
layer of the grid.
Generation without transmission is
just potential. It’s the grid that makes
it real. I
59 | September 2025 | www.industrialoutlook.in