Transmission Constraints Stall India’s Clean Energy Growth, Curtailment Rises: Ember

New Delhi, May 19 (KNN) India's rapid solar and wind deployment is running ahead of the electricity transmission infrastructure needed to carry that power to consumers, with transmission constraints now accounting for nearly two-thirds of all renewable energy curtailment, according to an analysis by energy think tank Ember. 

The growing mismatch has emerged as the most critical operational risk to India's target of 500 gigawatts of non-fossil electricity capacity by 2030.

A Widening Gap

In the first quarter of 2026, transmission constraints caused approximately 300 gigawatt-hours of renewable energy curtailment. 

Over the past five years, India has delivered only about 80 per cent of its annual transmission targets, building up a significant backlog. The government estimates a requirement of 61,411 circuit kilometres (ckm) of additional Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) capacity by FY2029–30.

Around one in four ISTS schemes nationwide faces a delay of a year or more, driven by right-of-way disputes, fragmented land ownership, forest and biodiversity clearances, and a thin global supplier base for high-voltage direct current (HVDC) components. 

Projects awaiting commissioning in FY2026–27 face average connectivity delays of four to five months, with certain stations in Rajasthan experiencing significantly longer wait times.

Duttatreya Das, ‍Energy Analyst, Ember (Asia) said, “India’s renewable energy curtailment arising from transmission constraints is beginning to reach materially significant levels. Much of this stems from the growing mismatch between the pace of renewable energy deployment and the readiness of transmission infrastructure.”

“Over time, the system will need to move away from generation-led transmission planning towards a model where generation and transmission are co-optimally planned and executed,” Das added.

Concentration Risk

The problem is compounded by the geographic concentration of India's renewable capacity. Rajasthan in the Northern Regional Grid and Gujarat in the Western Regional Grid house the bulk of the country's utility-scale solar and wind installations. This concentration, combined with delayed evacuation infrastructure, is producing long queues at key pooling stations and amplifying curtailment risks.

Near-Term Solutions

Ember identifies battery energy storage systems (BESS) deployed at renewable pooling stations as the most credible near-term lever to address curtailment. 

With the combined delivered cost of solar and storage at approximately Rs 7–8 per kilowatt-hour — well below the Rs 10 per kilowatt-hour many states currently pay for peak power — the economics are compelling, but regulatory gaps and the absence of a commercial framework are inhibiting deployment.

Two regulatory measures could unlock this potential. First, a government-backed intermediary entity could aggregate power from T-GNA (Temporary – General Network Access) projects and contract it to BESS developers, removing contracting risk. 

Second, BESS could be procured as a transmission asset with capacity payments socialised across states in the same manner as transmission charges.

Other near-term measures include harmonising curtailment compensation frameworks, streamlining intra-state connectivity procedures to ease pressure on congested inter-state corridors, and deploying dynamic line rating and reconductoring technologies to enhance the transfer capacity of existing lines and defer new transmission construction by a few years.

Structural Reform Needed

Ember warns that the mismatch between renewable deployment and transmission timelines will persist under a business-as-usual approach.

The report calls for a shift to a co-optimised planning model where generation and transmission expansion are planned together, rather than transmission perpetually reacting to generator needs. Gradually introducing stronger market signals to guide generation siting decisions and improve network utilisation is also recommended as part of a longer-term structural reform agenda.

(KNN Bureau)