Analysis

Analysis | Features

The World’s Largest Hydropower Project and the Fate of Brahmaputra
By August 20, 2025August 20, 2025

The Brahmaputra is not only one of Asia’s mightiest rivers but also a lifeline for millions across India and Bangladesh. Its scale and transboundary nature make it a source of both sustenance and tension. The river is an important source of irrigation in the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal. It originates in the Mansarovar Lake region in the Kailash ranges of the Himalayas in Tibet (China). The river flows for approximately…

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Analysis | Features

Report outlines Maharashtra’s pathway to becoming a green hydrogen hub
By August 14, 2025August 14, 2025

Maharashtra’s economy relies heavily on coal and gas. In 2021–22, it produced 56.5 million tonnes of coal worth INR 10,000 crore (US$1.2 billion), with nearly 90% used for utility power generation. Petroleum consumption reached 204 million tonnes, with petroleum and diesel at 55% and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at 14%. Natural gas use was close to 1 million tonnes, mainly compressed natural gas (CNG) and domestic piped natural gas (PNG). In 2018, the state…

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Analysis | Features

Scaling India’s Nuclear Fleet: Projects, Policy, and Challenges
By August 12, 2025August 13, 2025

As of 2025, India operates 24 commercial reactors with a combined installed capacity of 8,780 MW. This figure excludes RAPS-1 (100 MW), which remains under long-term shutdown. These reactors generated about 56.7 billion units (BU) of electricity during the financial year 2024-25, constituting roughly 3.1% of the nation’s total power generation of 1,830 BU. Recent parliamentary updates and policy moves show a clear push to scale capacity and deepen fuel-cycle capabilities. At the forefront…

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Features | Analysis

India Electric Mobility Index 2024 highlights uneven EV transition across states
By August 9, 2025August 9, 2025

The India Electric Mobility Index (IEMI) 2024 provides a comparative assessment of how states and Union Territories (UTs) are progressing in the shift to electric mobility. Developed by NITI Aayog, the index evaluates performance across three themes: transport electrification progress, charging infrastructure readiness, and EV research and innovation status. Covering 28 states and 8 UTs, the report ranks each on a scale of 0 to 100 using 16 indicators that measure both enablers and…

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Features | Analysis

India’s Solar Sector Recalibrates as U.S. Policy Turns Hostile
By August 7, 2025August 7, 2025

In July, a group of American solar manufacturers requested that the U.S. Commerce Department impose tariffs on solar panels imported from India, Indonesia, and Laos. The petition accuses companies based in these countries of selling modules at unfairly low prices, which allegedly undercut recent U.S. manufacturing investments. The Commerce Department has begun reviewing the petition. This move came amid broader efforts by the small but growing domestic solar industry in the U.S. to curb…

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Analysis | Features

AI’s Power Problem: Energy Is the Next Big Bottleneck
By July 29, 2025July 29, 2025

For a long time, people speculated about how much energy a single ChatGPT query uses. In June, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman finally provided an answer. In his blog The Gentle Singularity, he wrote that the average query consumes about 0.34 watt-hours, roughly what an oven uses in a little over one second, or what an efficient lightbulb uses in a few minutes. Each query also uses about 0.000085 gallons of water, or one-fifteenth of…

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Analysis | Features

CERC Clears Market Coupling for Day-Ahead Power, but Design Raises Concerns
By July 25, 2025July 25, 2025

The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has approved the introduction of market coupling in the Day-Ahead Market (DAM) segment starting January 2026. The order, issued on 23 July 2025 under Petition No. 8/SM/2025, aims to unify price discovery across India’s power exchanges and enhance overall market efficiency. The regulator’s decision follows two years of policy development, simulations, and public consultation. It marks a structural change in the way electricity prices are determined in short-term…

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Analysis | Features

Policy U-Turn on Coal Pollution Puts Lives at Risk and FGD Firms in Crisis
By July 15, 2025July 15, 2025

Only 11 per cent of India’s coal-based thermal power units are now required to install flue gas desulphurisation systems. This change follows a recent notification from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, reported The Hindu. FGD systems help reduce sulphur dioxide from flue gas, a residue from coal combustion. Sulphur dioxide contributes to fine particulate matter in the air, which is linked to heart and lung disease. India first introduced sulphur dioxide…

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Analysis | Features

Grid Failures: Exposing Gaps in India’s Power Infrastructure
By June 26, 2025June 26, 2025

The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has released two technical reports on equipment failures in India’s power grid. The first, titled Report of the Standing Committee of Experts on Failure of 220 kV and above Voltage Class Substation Equipment, covers the period from July 2023 to December 2024. The second, Report of the Standing Committee of Experts on Failure of EHV Transmission Line Towers, covers failures between January 2024 and December 2024. Both reports provide…

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Electrical Equipment Testing: CPRI’s Path to International Acceptance
By June 24, 2025June 24, 2025

In recent years, some overseas utilities resisted accepting test certificates issued by the Central Power Research Institute (CPRI), India’s premier agency for electrical equipment testing. While many international utilities accept reports from CPRI, a few raised concerns over global recognition and traceability. To understand the issue, it is essential to examine how accreditation works and how CPRI fits into the global compliance system. The role of accreditation in global acceptance Accreditation confirms a laboratory’s…

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