A surge in clean energy in India has kept carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in check across the country

NEW DELHI: A surge in clean energy in India has kept carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in check across the country’s power sector, with no growth from the first half of 2024 to the same period in 2026, and this is the first time in more than 50 years that there has been no growth in coal power over a two-year period, found an analysis published by the UK-based Carbon Brief on Thursday.The analysis, done by Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) for Carbon Brief, underlined that coal power has not recorded growth during the period, even as overall electricity demand grew.It also noted that both oil and gas consumption, at the same time, have fallen across the nation for two years in a row, helping alleviate the shock of the Hormuz crisis. Emissions from oil and gas, in fact, fell by 7% year-on-year, extending a reduction that began in 2025, despite higher demand for road transport fuels.Nevertheless, the new six-monthly analysis shows that India’s emissions grew by 3.7% year-on-year in the first half of 2026, due to increases from steel, cement and other sectors. The analysis found that the carbon-intensive steel and cement emissions grew by 8% year-on-year, reaching a 23% share of India’s total CO2 in the first half of 2026.Flagging India’s performance, the report noted that clean energy met all of the 7% rise in the country’s electricity demand over the two years, adding 63 terawatt hours (TWh), equivalent to the total demand of Switzerland. India has added 77 gigawatts (GW) of solar in this two-year period, helping meet 60% of the rise in electricity demand overall, it added.Looking at the state-wise contribution that led to the clean-power shift in India, the report said Gujarat saw both the largest reduction in fossil-fuel generation and the largest expansion in clean power. After Gujarat, the largest increases in clean-power generation were seen in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu, which also saw reductions in power generation from fossil fuels.

The report suggested that if the pace of India’s clean-energy expansion is to continue, it will need to upgrade its electricity grid, rapidly build out energy storage and boost the flexibility of coal power.The analysis, based on official monthly data for fuel consumption, industrial production and power generation from different ministries and govt institutes, shows that though clean-energy expansion is covering most or all of India’s power-demand growth, the fossil-fuel industry continues to pursue major capital investments.