News Desk: India is planning to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into its electricity grid to improve power management, predict equipment failures and identify potential outages before they occur. Union ministers Manohar Lal Khattar and Pralhad Joshi outlined the vision on Wednesday at a conclave focused on making the Indian power sector AI-enabled.
Addressing the event virtually, Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said India’s installed electricity generation capacity had reached 555 gigawatts (GW), with an additional 70 GW planned for 2026-27. He said the country must focus not only on expanding generation capacity but also on managing its growing power infrastructure intelligently.
Khattar said the government aims to quadruple electricity generation capacity by 2047. According to him, AI could help forecast electricity demand more accurately, improve grid management, enable predictive maintenance and identify potential power outages in advance.
The proposed approach would shift the electricity sector from reacting to problems after they occur towards anticipating disruptions and taking preventive action. AI could also help operators manage fluctuations in demand and integrate renewable energy sources more efficiently.
New and Renewable Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi highlighted the growing importance of clean energy in India’s electricity mix. He said the country had more than 305 GW of non-fossil fuel-based installed capacity, accounting for nearly 55% of its total installed electricity capacity.
Joshi said AI could improve renewable energy forecasting, support real-time grid balancing, optimise energy storage and detect irregularities in transmission and distribution networks. It could also help reduce renewable energy curtailment, when available electricity from renewable sources cannot be fully used because of grid or operational constraints.
Advanced data analysis could further help authorities identify congestion in electricity networks, improve the use of existing infrastructure and determine where additional capacity may be needed.
However, both ministers stressed that adopting AI in a critical sector such as electricity would require careful planning. Khattar highlighted the importance of skilled workers, data security and responsible AI use, while Joshi called for strong data governance, cybersecurity safeguards, rigorous testing and human oversight of critical grid operations.
The two-day conclave has been organised by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) in collaboration with the Central Board of Irrigation and Power and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
The discussions come as India expands its electricity infrastructure and renewable energy capacity. If implemented effectively, AI-based systems could help improve grid reliability, reduce maintenance costs and support a more efficient and affordable electricity supply. However, the benefits will depend on the quality of data, infrastructure readiness and safeguards put in place during implementation.
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