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Experts at India Infrastructure Forum 2025 Highlight Key Priorities for Power Sector Growth

At the India Infrastructure Forum 2025, sector leaders and government officials outlined critical developments and challenges shaping India’s electricity infrastructure. The panel, featuring Rimali Batra (DSK Legal), Ajay Dua (NTPC), Dr Srikant Nagulapalli (Ministry of Power), and Dr Puneet Tyagi (PGCIL), focused on distribution reform, transmission expansion, and grid modernization to meet India’s 2030 clean energy goals.

Rimali Batra emphasized the need for urgent reforms in the financially strained power distribution sector, alongside clearer carbon credit policies. She stressed that the co-location of transmission systems with solar and storage, and open access frameworks, will be instrumental in enabling large-scale renewable deployment.

Ajay Dua revealed that NTPC is targeting 26 GW capacity addition within the government’s broader 80 GW plan over the next 5–6 years. NTPC commissioned 3 GW this year and plans 1.5 GW more next year. Its green energy arm NGEL added 3 GW this year and targets 5 GW next year. Notably, NTPC is also constructing 14 GW of new coal-based capacity, highlighting a parallel strategy to meet base load needs.

Dr Srikant Nagulapalli highlighted the success of the Tariff-Based Competitive Bidding (TBCB) model in allocating transmission assets. He confirmed that 200 GW of ISTS-level transmission capacity is underway, with emphasis also on strengthening state grids to ensure balanced renewable development.

Dr Puneet Tyagi addressed technical challenges of renewable integration—intermittency, variability, and seasonality. He underscored the role of Renewable Energy Management Centers (REMCs), HVDC technology, and STATCOMs in improving grid resilience and enabling smoother integration of renewables.

The forum spotlighted India’s multifaceted energy transition strategy, balancing renewable expansion with grid strengthening, regulatory reforms, and thermal capacity for grid stability.