In August 2025, Union Minister Shripad Yesso Naik, Ministry of Power (MoP) in a written response to a query in Rajya Sabha (Upper House of the Parliament) informed that the Government of India (GoI) has revised upwards its target to develop an additional 97 Giga Watt (GW) coal and lignite-based electricity generation capacity by Financial Year 2034-35 (FY35), up from the previous target of 90 GW by FY32.
- This upward revision of target will help in achieving the required 307 GW of thermal (coal and lignite) installed capacity by FY35.
- This expansion will also help in realizing India’s ambitious target of 500 GW of Renewable Energy (RE) capacity by 2030 and Net Zero target by 2070.
Exam Hints:
- What? To develop additional 97 GW coal-fired power capacity
- Announced by: Union Minister Shripad Yesso Naik, MoP
- Target Year: FY35
- Previous Projection: 90 GW by FY32
- Overall Target: 307 GW of thermal installed capacity by FY35
Scenario of Thermal Installed Capacity in India:
Previous Projections: Previously, the GoI had estimated that nearly 283 GW of coal and lignite-based installed capacity would be required to meet India’s coal load requirement by FY32.
- Later, In November 2023, MoP proposed to set up an additional minimum 80 GW coal-based thermal capacity by FY32.
Electricity Generation Capacity: As of June 2025, the installed electricity generation capacity in India stands at 485 GW.
Power Projection for FY32: According to the National Electricity Plan (NEP) (Generation) published in May 2023, India’s installed generation capacity is expected to reach 874 GW by FY32.
Progress in Thermal Installed Power Capacity: Union MoS Naik has further informed that thermal capacity of nearly 11.680 GW has already been commissioned between April 2023 and June 2025.
- He further mentioned that a capacity of 38.935 GW (including 5.695 GW of stressed thermal power projects) is currently under construction and also, contracts for 15.440 GW capacity have been awarded and due for construction.
Projection Related to EV: According to the mid-term review of the 20th Electric Power Survey (EPS), the electricity demand due to Electric Vehicle (EV) is expected to be 63,651 Million Units (MU) (accounting for nearly 2.35% of projected total demand) by FY32.
Key Initiatives:
About Ministry of Power (MoP):
Union Minister- Manohar Lal Khattar (Constituency- Karnal, Haryana)
Minister of State (MoS)- Shripad Yesso Naik (Constituency- North Goa, Goa)
