India needs a resilient power sector: Lessons from the Covid-19 crisis

India’s power system has undergone massive transformation, thanks to significant reforms by the Government of India. These reforms led to the creation of a single national power grid, boosted access to electricity for its citizens and promoted the dynamic growth of renewable energy. Renewables (including large hydropower) made up more than a third of today’s 370 GW of installed capacity and 25% of electricity generation in 2019. After years of scarcity, the system has been in surplus in recent years thanks to investment in generation, and the private sector now accounts for 50% of total capacity. But some of the toughest, but most-needed, reforms remain to be done.