Mumbai, Nov. 10 -- India will need an additional 26.3 GW of power capacity by 2031-32 to meet rising demand from data centres, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi said at the Bharat Renewable Energy Summit in New Delhi. He described Artificial Intelligence (AI) as important for predictive maintenance, energy management and improved forecasting of electricity systems.

Joshi said India had attracted $116 bn in green-energy investment over the past decade, including $63 bn in recent years. The government is seeking total investment of $220 bn by 2030 to add 190 GW of capacity and reach its target of 500 GW from non-fossil sources.

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi said 310 GW of non-fossil power capacity was already contributing 29 per cent of the country's electricity mix. Joshi also said the expansion of green energy had helped India save $100 bn in fossil-fuel imports, while the country had set a new target of 800 GW of green-energy capacity by 2035-36.

The minister said 10 memoranda of understanding had been signed during the summit following discussions with France, Denmark, Canadian pension funds and countries from the Global South. These included an agreement between the European Union and the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to supply 300,000 t of green methanol annually. India has also secured offtake commitments for 550,000 t of green hydrogen.

Investments worth $400 bn were committed to renewable energy during the summit, Joshi said, adding that solar plants could continue to create jobs after installation, with seven to eight skilled workers required for every 1 MW of capacity. Sarangi said domestic wind-turbine manufacturing capacity had reached 24 GW annually and that the Approved List of Model Manufacturers (ALMM) framework was supporting greater self-reliance in solar-module and wind-turbine production. International Solar Alliance Director General Ashish Khanna said India would develop as a hub for training centres focused on AI and grid digitisation, with five countries having already sought participation.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Construction World.