India’s power sector has crossed a historic milestone: for the first time, the country now has more installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources than from coal, gas and other fossil fuels.
Minister of State for Power Shripad Yesso Naik, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, said that India’s total installed generation capacity stood at 5,05,023MW as of October 31, 2025.
Of this, around 48.6 per cent (i.e., 2,45,600MW) came from fossil-fuel-based plants such as coal, lignite, gas and diesel, while 2,59,423MW (51.37 per cent) came from non-fossil fuel sources, including renewables, large hydro and nuclear. Renewable energy alone—mainly solar and wind—accounts for 2,50,643MW, or nearly half of India’s total capacity.
The Ministry of Power noted that India had already achieved 50 per cent of its installed electricity capacity from non-fossil sources in June 2025, beating by more than five years the target date embedded in its Paris Agreement commitments.
Naik, in his reply, stated how the achievement “underscores the country’s steadfast commitment to climate action and sustainable development,” while still keeping energy security, affordability and accessibility at the core of policy priorities.
Of late, the Centre has rolled out various initiatives to reach 500GW of non-fossil capacity by 2030. These include waiving interstate transmission (ISTS) charges for solar and wind projects commissioned by June 2025, for green hydrogen projects till December 2030, and for offshore wind up to December 2032; issuing standard bidding guidelines for solar, wind and hybrid projects; and notifying a trajectory for 50 GW of renewable power bids every year from FY2023–24 to 2027–28.
Initiatives like the Green Energy Corridor for transmission lines, mega solar parks, PM-KUSUM for farmers, PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana for rooftop solar, and a PLI scheme for high-efficiency solar PV modules are aimed at making clean power both easier to produce and easier to consume, the ministry noted.
A Renewable Consumption Obligation (RCO), with penalties for non-compliance, is expected to push big consumers to use more green power, including from decentralised sources.