Kamal Ghorui
Chennai: India’s power sector has recorded a sharp improvement in supply reliability and efficiency over the past decade, with electricity availability rising significantly. Rural areas received an average of 22.6 hours of power supply per day in FY25, up from 12.5 hours in FY2015, while urban areas are nearing uninterrupted supply at 23.6 hours in FY25, up from 22.1 hours in FY2014. Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses have also declined significantly, bringing electricity supply closer to round-the-clock levels across both rural and urban areas. AT&C losses have dropped from 21.91% in FY2021 to 15.04% in FY2025, thanks to sustained efforts by the ministry of power, state govts, and distribution utilities to improve operational efficiency.This reduction has strengthened the financial health of utilities, enabling better system maintenance and more reliable power procurement—ultimately benefiting consumers, according to a reply by Union minister of state for power Shripad Naik in the Rajya Sabha. These gains come on the back of substantial investments in distribution infrastructure. Projects worth Rs 1.85 lakh crore have been executed under several schemes, which have since been completed. The initiatives led to the addition of 2,927 new substations, the upgradation of 3,965 substations, the installation of over 6.96 lakh distribution transformers, and the expansion or strengthening of 8.4 lakh circuit kilometres of high- and low-tension lines. Building on this, distribution works worth Rs 2.83 lakh crore have been sanctioned under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), focusing on loss reduction and smart metering to further improve supply quality and efficiency. The broader transformation of the sector is also evident in generation and transmission capacity expansion. Since 2014, India has added close to 300 GW of generation capacity, taking the total installed capacity to 524 GW as of February 2026—effectively shifting the country from a power-deficit to a power-sufficient position. On the transmission front, 2,12,325 circuit km of lines, 8,98,375 MVA of transformation capacity, and 84,390 MW of inter-regional transfer capacity have been added since 2014, strengthening the national grid and enabling smoother power flow across regions.
