India’s Energy Targets Are Set. Execution Will Define the Outcome.

India has become central to the global energy conversation for a simple reason: it is attempting one of the most complex energy transitions anywhere in the world—at scale and at speed.

Renewable capacity is growing rapidly. Electricity demand continues to rise. Grids are being modernised. Transition fuels are being integrated. All of this is happening while the economy expands and expectations around affordability and reliability remain high.

Many countries face similar pressures. Few face them all at once. That is what makes execution in India especially critical.

Policy Has Set the Direction. Delivery Comes Next

India’s policy direction is clear. Updated national commitments include reducing emissions intensity of GDP by 45% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels, achieving about 50% of installed electric power capacity from non-fossil sources by 2030, and reaching net zero by 2070.¹

Recent reporting indicates India has already reached 50% of installed electricity capacity from non-fossil sources, several years ahead of its 2030 target, even as demand continues to grow.²

This clarity is shaping investment across power, grids, fuels, and industry. But policy alone does not determine outcomes. Once assets are built, success depends on how the system performs in practice—under variable generation, changing demand, and real-world operational constraints.

For leaders, the focus is shifting from what to build to how to make the system work reliably once it is live.

Scaling Renewables Changes the Operating Reality

Solar and wind capacity continue to expand across India. At the same time, electricity demand is climbing, driven by industrial growth, electrification, and urbanisation.

The operating reality has changed. Peaks are sharper. Variability is constant. Reliability expectations remain unchanged.

Performance now depends less on individual assets and more on the ability to operate an increasingly connected system—across regions, technologies, and time horizons.

Gas and LNG Enable Stability—If Coordinated

In this environment, gas and LNG play a deliberate role. They provide flexibility, support peak balancing, and help stabilise the system as renewable penetration increases.

India’s energy players are aligning accordingly. ONGC has articulated a decarbonisation roadmap that includes a target of net-zero operational (Scope 1 and 2) emissions by 2038 and ambitions to build approximately 10 GW of renewable capacity by 2030.³

International partners are also part of this landscape. bp has committed USD 70 million to India’s Green Growth Equity Fund, focused on supporting low- and zero-carbon energy solutions.⁴

But flexibility only delivers value when it is coordinated. Power generation, grid operations, fuel supply, and demand are now tightly linked. Decisions made in one area increasingly shape outcomes across the system.

Downstream Leaders Are Prioritising Execution

The same shift is visible downstream.

Indian downstream majors are reporting to a digitalisation drive focused on improving yields and reducing unplanned interruptions, with leadership noting that even short refinery outages can translate into significant commercial losses.⁵

One Indian operator is executing multi-year digital programmes integrating real-time data across more than 18,000 fuel retail outlets, 25,000 tank trucks, depots, and LPG facilities into a unified operational view.⁶

Across refining and fuels, digital enablement is being treated as core operational infrastructure—essential to efficiency, reliability, and decarbonisation over the coming years.

From Ambition to Everyday Decisions

Across power, grids, fuels, and downstream operations, a common requirement is emerging: better visibility and coordination in everyday decision-making.

The shift is clear. Less reliance on static plans. Greater emphasis on continuous execution.

Digital twins, simulation, and integrated operational environments support this shift—not as abstract transformation programmes, but as practical tools. They help teams understand system behaviour, test scenarios before acting, and align decisions across functions.

This is the problem space Kongsberg Digital works in: helping energy organisations connect data, models, and workflows so execution keeps pace with growing complexity.

Why This Matters Now

India matters because it reflects the many challenges energy systems are beginning to face — growth, variability, complexity, and the need for coordination.

The experience gained here will influence how similar systems evolve elsewhere—particularly in fast-growing markets where reliability, affordability, and decarbonisation must advance together.

India’s targets are clear, and the infrastructure build-out is well underway. What will define success now is execution. For leaders, that means operational readiness—aligning data, decisions, and workflows so the system performs reliably every day, under real conditions.

The real test of India’s energy transition is an operating-model test—and why the world is watching.

 

These discussions will likely be front and centre at India Energy Week, where leaders from across the energy value chain will explore how ambition translates into real-world execution. If you are planning on attending, please use the link below to book a meeting or stop by our booth.