India Plans 137,500 ckm Grid Expansion to Meet 900GW RE by 2036
Visual Credits: Pixabay
India plans to integrate over 900 GW of renewable energy (RE) capacity by 2035–36, requiring the addition of 137,500 circuit kilometres (ckm) of transmission lines, Mercom reported. The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) plan also includes 827,600 MVA of substation capacity, with an estimated investment of ₹7.93 lakh crore (approx. $84–85 billion) to prevent bottlenecks.
The goal is to support 900 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity, which includes massive solar and wind growth. The estimated cost for this infrastructure development between 2026–27 and 2035–36 is ₹7.93 lakh crore.
The report said the aim is to alleviate bottlenecks in renewable energy evacuation and ensure grid stability for the growing green energy sector.
Solar equipment makers get no funds under ₹24,000 crore PLI scheme till February
Solar equipment manufacturers have not received funds under the ₹24,000-crore production linked incentive (PLI) scheme for them till February-end, the government told Parliament, ET reported.
The PLI Scheme for High Efficiency solar PV modules has an outlay of ₹24,000 crore for which letters of award have been issued for setting up 48,337 MW of fully/partially integrated solar PV module manufacturing capacity, the House was informed.
The government said till February no funds have been released as it provides for the release of PLI to successful bidders a year after commissioning of the manufacturing projects awarded under the scheme. Until now, this one-year post-commissioning period has not been completed in respect of the projects awarded under the scheme.
Under the scheme, around 30 GW of solar PV module manufacturing capacity, around 10.5 GW of solar PV cell manufacturing capacity, and around 2 GW of ingot-wafer manufacturing capacity have been set up.
These capacities include around 3.4 GW of fully integrated thin-film solar PV module manufacturing capacity. Of the awarded capacity, 4 GW of integrated capacity for solar cells and modules have been declared commissioned in October 2025.
Over 37GW solar capacity at risk of grid curtailments in FY27 : Crisil
Rising renewable energy capacity has increased the risk of evacuating surplus power, especially during the daytime, with 35 GW capacity facing the risk of grid curtailment in FY27 amid slow deployment of transmission infrastructure, reported BS citing a new report by Crisil. The ratings agency said projects without dedicated transmission infrastructure, called temporary general network access (TGNA), faced 80% of the total curtailment in India between April and December 2025, the outlet said.
The report showed that between November 2025 and February 2026, these projects had nearly 39% of their capacities curtailed. Rajasthan and Gujarat, which account for 45% of the country’s total renewable energy generation capacity, face the most curtailment. Capacity of 13–14 GW suffered higher curtailment of up to 50 per cent, report said.
“We project about 20 GW of fresh ISTS RE capacity to be commissioned and starting on TGNA in 2026–27. This, with existing capacity with TGNA of nearly 17 GW as of February 2026, may result in RE capacity exposed to curtailment risk reaching 35–37 GW in 2026–27,” said Ankit Hakhu, director, Crisil.
MNRE Urges Maharashtra to Scrap Rooftop Solar Capacity Cap
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has requested Maharashtra to remove restrictions capping rooftop solar capacity based on consumers’ past electricity consumption. The Ministry warned that linking system size to previous usage instead of sanctioned load hinders adoption, runs counter to national PM Surya Ghar goals, and creates unnecessary uncertainty for consumers and developers, Energtica India reported.
Maharashtra’s policy limits the size of rooftop solar installations to a percentage of a consumer's past consumption. Centre argues that this contradicts the goal of promoting renewable energy adoption, particularly as users may be looking to increase power usage for Electric Vehicles or heat pumps. The cap is seen as a barrier to the growth of residential and commercial solar adoption in the state.