India will surpass 175 GW renewable energy capacity target by 2022: Power Minister

Preparations underway to install capacity of 200 GW +

Power and renewable energy minister R K Singh has claimed that India’s renewable energy capacity would reach 200 gigawatt – significantly exceeding the target set earlier – by 2022.

“We have decided that by 2022 we will establish 175 GW of renewable energy capacity. We are close to achieving the target,” and are on way to cross 200 GW mark, Singh said at a meeting of energy ministers of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) at Brasilia, Brazil, on 11 November.

Giving the breakdown, he said 83 GW of renewable energy capacity has already been established and 31 GW of capacity is under installation, and bids have been invited for 35 GW.

“In hydro (which is also considered renewable energy), we have an installed capacity of around 45 GW, and a 13 GW capacity is under installation”. This will all add up to more than 200 GW by 2022, he said.

The minister said that India had told the Paris Climate Summit in 2015 that it would source 40 percent of its power from renewables by 2030. “We will be crossing that”, he said.

“Our prime minister has (now) announced that we will install 450 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030 …So we have followed a quick approach towards reducing carbon footprints,” he added. This means that India will have 55 percent of power from renewable energy sources, he said

Singh said India’s energy situation had changed significantly. “We have transitioned a country which had a deficit, so far as energy production capacity was concerned, to a country which is now a surplus and we are able to produce more energy than we consume and we are exporting energy to our neighbouring countries,” he said. India has aggressively expanded its wind and solar energy capacity in the past five years, helped by aggressive bidding by companies.