NEW DELHI: India’s rapid build-out of renewable electricity infrastructure has delivered transformative economic and geopolitical dividends, averting more than $100 billion (approximately ₹9.4 lakh crore) in coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG) import expenditures between 2011 and 2025, according to a landmark assessment released by the International Energy Agency (IEA).
The global energy watchdog projected that cumulative fuel import savings will escalate dramatically to nearly $240 billion (₹22.6 lakh crore) by 2030, fundamentally insulating Asia’s third-largest economy against volatile international hydrocarbon price swings and geopolitical supply disruptions.
The IEA report estimated that in the absence of massive utility-scale solar photovoltaic, onshore wind, and bioenergy capacities deployed since 2010, India’s thermal coal import requirements in 2025 alone would have expanded by roughly 110 million tonnes. Consequently, national reliance on imported fuels for domestic power generation would have exceeded 30 percent—more than double the recorded figure.
By 2030, annual import avoidance on coal and gas is forecast to touch $35 billion (₹3.3 lakh crore) per year, an amount exceeding India’s total non-coking coal and natural gas import bill in fiscal year 2024-25.
India’s total renewable power capacity has expanded nearly four-fold over the past decade, crossing 300 gigawatts (GW) in 2026 and establishing the country as the world’s second-fastest expanding renewable energy market. Official Ministry of New and Renewable Energy data shows installed non-fossil capacity—including large hydro and nuclear—exceeding 308 GW, comprising 171.05 GW of solar and 59.2 GW of wind.
The IEA commended flagship citizen-centric initiatives, specifically the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana for rapid residential rooftop solarization, alongside the PM-KUSUM scheme for replacing diesel agricultural pumps with solar energy, noting that decentralized generation effectively democratizes energy transition across millions of rural and urban households.
Published by True Roots Media