The maiden edition of the Bharat Electricity Summit (BES) concluded today. It brought policymakers, global experts, industry leaders, investors, and innovators together. They discussed the future of the electricity sector and the global clean energy revolution. There were discussions, bilateral meetings, and business meetings on the deliberations around the developments in the energy sector.

The Summit saw the participation of over 35,000 exhibition attendees, representatives from 28 States and Union Territories, over 200 exhibiting companies with over 80 of them being startups, 6,000 delegates, 300 speakers, and over 100 conference sessions.

India’s efforts towards achieving 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030 have been emphasized, with the country having already exceeded 50% capacity from non-fossil fuels. The initiative “One Sun, One World, One Grid” was also mentioned with regards to international cooperation.

In the valedictory address given by the Union Power Minister Manohar Lal, the summit witnessed good participation from the power industry. Although the summit was the first of its kind, the minister mentioned that the summit witnessed “unprecedented participation” with good discussion taking place. The participation of startups was also mentioned with regards to innovation.

He said that India has a vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047 and that electricity is a common resource required by all sections of the economy and citizens. Referring to the Saubhagya Yojana, he said electricity access has been extended across the country.

In the context of solar energy and international cooperation, he referred to the phrase coined by the Prime Minister of India – “One Sun, One World, One Grid,” which reflects the requirement of international cooperation and sustainability with the expansion of renewable energy being critical.

He further stated that the talks at the summit, including with African countries, indicated the possibility of cooperation in the power sector as well as other sectors.

In the context of sectoral reforms, he emphasized the requirement to strengthen DISCOMs through the adoption of smart meters as well as cost-reflective tariffs. He also mentioned the willingness of DISCOMs to improve their operational as well as financial efficiency.

The next edition of the Summit will take place in 2028 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

At the valedictory function, Minister of State for Power and MNRE, Shripad Yesso Naik, stated that “India's power sector is moving forward with coordinated efforts at the national and state levels. The three major findings from the summit are that the states are taking the lead in innovation in the field of renewable energy and policies, the momentum for distribution reforms is building, and the energy transition is becoming more integrated in the fields of renewables, storage, and transmission, along with digital technologies.”

Power Secretary Pankaj Agarwal said discussions with industry bodies indicated an estimated ₹32,000 crore capital expenditure pipeline in the sector. He also highlighted the need for system-level evaluation of power costs and the importance of scaling up energy storage capacity.

Additional Secretary Piyush Singh acknowledged the scale of the Summit and its execution.

Three reports were also launched during the event, which included a report on the regulatory performance of States and UTs, a report on ash generation/utilisation in thermal power stations, and a report on developing a sodium-ion battery ecosystem in India.

As per the data presented during the Summit, the power capacity installed in India has crossed 520 GW, while the transmission infrastructure has crossed 5 lakh circuit kilometres. The solar installed capacity has also increased from 2.8 GW in 2014 to more than 143 GW now. The demand for electricity is poised to grow by more than 30% by 2030, including data centres and electric mobility.

The Minister said that thermal power will continue to play a crucial role in the stability of the grid, and renewable energy will play a crucial role in the long-term sustainability.

A meeting of ministers with States and Union Territories highlighted areas of priority, which included making DISCOMs financially viable, cost-reflective tariffs, faster development of smart meters, future generations of power supply, and further development of nuclear power.

Strategic meetings during the Summit included centre-state coordination, green hydrogen, AI-based power systems, nuclear power, power markets, financing, energy storage, and domestic manufacturing for global supply chains. The meetings revealed that India could need investments of over 22 trillion USD by 2070 to facilitate its energy transition.

The requirements highlighted were the need for infrastructure development, which includes the development of over 1.37 lakh circuit km of transmission lines by the year 2030, with a required investment of around ₹9 lakh crores. Energy storage requirements will also see a rise, which includes pumped storage of over 200 GW. Battery Energy Storage Systems have also started finding application in the management of peak demand.

The Indian Carbon Market Portal was also launched, with trading to occur shortly.

The trend of digital transformation was also emphasized, with an increase in the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies.

The term 'India Energy Stack' was also mentioned, with a focus on developing an interoperability platform.

Smart Metering and rooftop solar were emphasized to enable consumer participation.

The states also presented their plans and strategies, with Gujarat planning to achieve 190 GW of renewable energy by 2047, Andhra Pradesh planning to develop a clean energy hub, Maharashtra expecting a significant increase in demand by 2030, Bihar focusing on developing storage and grid infrastructure, and Delhi planning to develop a renewable integrated urban power system.

In addition to the above, the Summit also comprised bilateral interactions with nations such as Malawi, Tajikistan, Mauritius, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia, along with other international stakeholders.

A meeting between India and Africa at the Summit centered on the topic of cooperation between the two on the topic of renewable energy.

Business interactions comprised over 1,200 buyer-seller meetings, resulting in the generation of enquiries worth over ₹517 crore.

The developments taking place in the power sector of India were outlined at the Summit.