Podcast

Karthik Ganesan on the Current State of Electrical Connectivity in India

by Sayoudh Roy and Karthik Ganesan
Published on January 4, 2024

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Interpreting India, Karthik Ganesan joins Sayoudh Roy to discuss the present and future of the electricity sector in India. Why do some Indian households still lack an electricity connection? What are some common electrical connectivity issues faced by Indian households? What are some problems that distribution companies face, particularly in terms of finance?

EPISODE NOTES

India has seen superlative progress in electrical connectivity, achieving 96.7 percent connectivity to the grid as of 2020 from around 67 percent over a decade ago. For context, the electricity sector can be broadly split between generation, transmission, and distribution. Despite recent progress, electrical connectivity is still racked by problems such as irregular supply and voltage fluctuations, and distribution companies face losses. Much of the electricity generated is derived from coal, which serves to impede our climate goals, and renewable alternatives require energy storage mechanisms that are technologically complex and depend on locally unavailable raw materials.

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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