India’s reliance on thermal power to meet its growing electricity demand has been significant and somewhat risky. This imbalance became noticeable by the late 1980s. The VG Rajadhyaksha Committee on Power (1980) highlighted how the hydel contribution had dropped from 49 percent to 46 percent over the previous three decades, while thermal power (including coal) had increased from 47 percent to 51 percent. Nuclear energy contribution was noted at three percent. The installed capacities for thermal (14,887 MW), hydro (10,883 MW), and nuclear (640 MW) power in 1978-79 represented 55.7 percent, 40.6 percent, and 2.3 percent respectively. During this period, no electricity was generated from renewable sources like wind, solar, or bio-gas, maintaining a semblance of balance.

A significant change occurred in the late 1980s. By the early 1990s, thermal power constituted 69 percent of total installed capacity and contributed around 72 percent of total power generation. As of March 31, 2024, the installed capacity for thermal power had risen to 2,43,217 MW or 55 percent of power from all sources. The share of hydro power in installed capacity had dropped to 10.62 percent, amounting to 46,928 MW. In terms of actual generation figures, thermal power contributed 1206.2 billion units (BU), or 74 percent, whereas hydro power contributed only 10 percent at 162 billion units. The share of nuclear power in total installed capacity was 1.85 percent at 8180 MW, but in terms of generation, it contributed 2.8 percent, amounting to 45.861 billion units.

Thermal sources (coal, gas, lignite, and diesel) thus performed significantly above their weight. Despite the rise of renewable energy sources (wind, solar, and bio-gas),........

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