India’s Power Line Expansion Falls Short; Less Than Half of 2025–26 Target Completed So Far

New Delhi – India has added about 5,077 circuit kilometers (ckm) of high-voltage transmission lines between April and December 2025, reaching only 47.5 % of the planned target of roughly 10,696 ckm for the first nine months of the 2025–26 financial year, according to data from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA). With less than two months remaining in the fiscal year, the country is now on track to fall well short of its full-year goal of 15,382 ckm.

The majority of the transmission lines added in this period came in the 230 kV/220 kV category, which accounted for about 2,325 ckm – nearly 46 % of all additions in the nine-month period. State electricity boards led the growth with 2,065 ckm, while central utilities contributed 240 ckm and joint venture/private developers added 20 ckm.

In the 400 kV segment, approximately 1,676 ckm of lines were commissioned, with state authorities responsible for 927 ckm, the central sector for 415 ckm, and the private sector for 334 ckm. Higher-capacity 765 kV transmission lines saw 1,076 ckm added, all by the central sector.

Monthly progress picked up in December 2025, with 1,436 ckm of lines added, but this still fell significantly short of the 3,251 ckm monthly target. Notably, no new lines were commissioned in the ±800 kV and ±500 kV high-voltage direct current (HVDC) categories during the period.

Despite the shortfall against planned expansion, India crossed a key infrastructure milestone on January 14, 2026, when the national grid’s transmission network exceeded 500,000 ckm of lines at 220 kV and above and achieved 1,407 GVA of transformation capacity. This was marked by the commissioning of a 628 ckm, 765 kV transmission line from Bhadla II to Sikar II, aimed at evacuating renewable energy from major solar zones in Rajasthan, enabling roughly 1,100 MW of renewable power dispatch.

Analysts say the slower pace of transmission line additions could affect the country’s ability to evacuate and integrate renewable energy at scale unless project execution accelerates in the final months of the fiscal year.