New Delhi: Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal said India energy sector reforms over the past 11 years demonstrated how focused leadership and steady execution reshaped the country’s power landscape.
At a briefing in New Delhi, the Minister said these reforms reflected the ideals of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. According to him, Patel believed India must stand on its own feet politically, economically, and strategically. In the same vein, he said the India energy sector now followed that path under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Highlighting key outcomes, Shri Goyal said coal production touched a record 1,048 million tonnes in FY 2024–25. At the same time, coal imports fell by nearly 8 per cent. Meanwhile, solar power capacity expanded 46 times over 11 years, placing India third globally. Similarly, wind power capacity rose from 21 GW in 2014 to 53 GW in 2025.
India energy sector driven by five reform pillars
Turning to infrastructure, the Minister said India emerged as the world’s fourth-largest refining hub. Going forward, he said the government aimed to raise refining capacity by 20 per cent. In addition, authorities authorised 34,238 km of natural gas pipelines, of which 25,923 km were already operational. He also referred to the SHANTI Bill, which seeks to allow private participation in nuclear energy.
Explaining the reform framework, Shri Goyal said the first pillar was universal access. Under the Saubhagya scheme, he said electricity reached every household. Through the UJALA programme, he added, the government distributed 36.87 crore LED bulbs, cutting power bills and emissions. Moreover, 10 crore households received clean cooking gas, while PM-KUSUM enabled farmers to become energy producers.
The second pillar, he said, focused on affordability. As part of this effort, the government reduced GST on clean energy equipment from 12 per cent to 5 per cent. Additionally, India achieved the 20 per cent ethanol blending target well ahead of the original 2030 deadline. The Centre also waived inter-State transmission charges for renewable power.
The third pillar addressed availability. As a result, power shortages declined sharply from 4.2 per cent in 2013 to 0.03 per cent in 2025. Alongside this, a unified national grid helped India meet a record peak demand of 250 GW. The fourth pillar centred on financial strength, with PM-UDAY reforms reducing DISCOM dues from ₹1.4 lakh crore in 2022 to ₹6,500 crore in 2025.
Finally, the Minister said sustainability formed the fifth pillar. In this context, he noted that India became the first G20 country to meet Paris Agreement targets. Today, he added, non-fossil fuels account for 50 per cent of installed power capacity.
Looking ahead to 2047, Shri Goyal said the government was recalibrating its strategy to meet future challenges. Key initiatives, he said, included the National Green Hydrogen Mission and the PM Surya Ghar scheme. Overall, he expressed confidence that the India energy sector would emerge as a global model for scale, speed, and sustainability.
