India may need to add 25-30 GW of thermal power capacity over the 49 GW already planned or under construction to meet future requirements. Power Minister RK Singh said this at a conference organised by CII, while noting that the country's electricity demand is rising and would continue to grow.

A strategy is already in place which would add 50 GW of renewable energy (RE) capacity annually for five years starting this financial year. Besides, a pilot project for utilising green hydrogen as storage for round the clock (RTC) power having a capacity of 100 MW will be undertaken, and based on the success rate at the current cost, it could be taken up for benchmarking, the Minister informed. 

In RE segment, 88 GW of capacity is currently under construction and around 180 GW capacity is established as on date, as an effort to meet the target of 500 GW of non-fossil fuel based power capacity by 2030. 

The country has already amassed substantial manufacturing capacity to position itself as a global leader in this sector, and elevate its position as a producer as well as an exporter of green hydrogen and ammonia. 

The recent memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Saudi Arabia on energy will bring investment in India in the sector and also attract investment by Indian companies in the Middle East nation, as stated by the Minister.