India cuts fossil electricity output as clean generation hits new peak

India's clean electricity sources are also on track to provide a third of its utility electricity for the first time over the next month or so, thanks to record combined output from renewables, hydro and nuclear assets, data from Ember shows.

The steep build in home-grown clean electricity comes just as India faces unprecedented scrutiny over its energy import practices, particularly its heavy reliance on sanctioned Russian oil that has triggered stiff new tariffs from the United States.

India also faces pressure to boost imports of U.S. LNG as a means to reduce its trade deficit with the United States, but has steadily reduced its reliance on gas for power as clean energy output has increased.

Continued growth in clean generation - alongside rising homemade production of clean energy tech such as solar panels and battery systems - may help India limit its reliance on foreign-sourced fossil fuels while continuing to expand its overall energy generation.

New peak

Over the first half of 2025, India's utilities generated a record 236 terawatt hours (TWh) of clean electricity, data from Ember shows.

That total is 20% more than during the same months in 2024, and allowed utilities to curb generation from fossil fuels by 4% from the year before to around 691 TWh.

A 29% jump in wind generation (to 47.2 TWh) and a 25% rise in solar generation (to 85 TWh) were the main drivers of the advance in clean electricity supplies.

Record output from India's nuclear fleet - to 29 TWh - and a 14% year-over-year climb in output from hydro dams also helped lift the overall clean supply total.

On the fossil fuel side of the generation ledger, coal-fired electricity supplies dropped by 3% from the year before to 675 TWh, while gas-fired electricity output shrank by 34% to 13.75 TWh.

Seasonal sway

The collective upswing in multiple clean generation sources is leading to clean power grabbing a record share of India's generation mix, which will likely exceed 30% for the months of July, August and September.

The average clean generation share through the opening half of 2025 was 25%, compared to an average of 21% for the same months in 2024.

In June, clean power sources accounted for 31% of the overall generation mix, which was the highest reading on record for that month and meant the share from fossil fuel sources dropped below 70% for the first time.

Data on India's generation during July and August has yet to be released, but clean power sources are likely to have secured even larger shares of the overall mix during that period as wind and hydropower output tends to hit annual peaks around then.

Over the first half of 2025, total clean generation from all sources was around 24% more than average generation levels from India's clean generation assets during the same months from 2022 to 2024.

If wind and hydro production rise as expected during July, August and September, total clean electricity production in India will smash previous records this year and may set the stage for even steeper cuts to fossil fuel generation going forward.

Given the fast pace of electricity demand growth in India, utilities are likely to continue adding coal-fired generation capacity to the generation system to ensure that overall electricity supplies keep up with consumption.

But with solar and wind capacity expected to continue growing at a faster pace, the share of fossil fuels within India's overall generation mix may be close to peaking, which would mark a major milestone for India's fast-growing energy system.

An established peak in the share of fossil fuels in electricity generation could then trigger a potential decline in fossil fuel imports and use, and reduce the pressure on India to succumb to international pressure on oil and gas import trends.

The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.

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