It’s Wednesday, January 21, 2026, and if you’re looking at the calendar, we are exactly ten days away from February 1—the day Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tables the Union Budget.1 The thing is, this year’s conversation isn’t about “adding more gigawatts.” We’ve already crossed the 510 GW mark.2 Or nothing.
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The real ground reality? It’s about the “invisible plumbing”—the wires, the storage, and the grid that’s currently groaning under the weight of all that green energy. Let’s be real, a solar farm in Rajasthan is useless if the grid in Mumbai can’t take the load. Those too.
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Budget 2026: The “Systems Thinking” Report
It’s an ongoing situation where the government is realizing that energy and infra are two sides of the same coin.3 Here’s what’s cooking in the pre-budget hallways:
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The “Storage” Mandate: Expect a massive push for Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS).4 The thing is, we only have about 0.8 GWh of storage right now, but we need 236 GWh by 2030.5 Industry experts are begging for GST rationalization on batteries to make this happen.6
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The Nuclear Pivot: And here’s the kicker—there’s a rumored ₹20,000 crore allocation coming for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).7 The government wants 100 GW of nuclear by 2047.8 Or nothing.
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Transmission vs. Generation: For every ₹1 spent on generation, we need to spend at least ₹1.5 on transmission. The thing is, only 3% of transmission is private right now, compared to 38% in generation.9 Budget 2026 is expected to open the doors for more private “wires.”
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The “Mother of All Deals”: Yesterday at Davos, the EU hinted at a historic trade deal with India. The thing is, that deal relies on India having a stable, “green” manufacturing base. It’s an ongoing situation where energy policy is now foreign policy. Those too.
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Energy & Infra Stats: The Reality Check
| Metric | Current Status (Jan 2026) | The “Ground” Reality |
| Total Capacity | ~513 GW | We have the power, but can we move it? |
| Renewable Share | ~40% (207 GW) | Solar is leading at 136 GW. |
| Grid Curtailment | 5–10% | Power is being wasted because the grid is full. |
| DISCOM Debt10 | Still a “weak link”11 | Reforms are now tied to Smart Metering.12 |
And Here’s the Kicker…
The thing is, just this morning, the Ministry of Power released the Draft National Electricity Policy (NEP) 2026.13 It’s basically the script for the Budget. It targets a jump in per-capita consumption from 1,460 kWh to 2,000 kWh by 2030.14 Or nothing.
One side comment—Adani Group just committed ₹6 lakh crore to integrated infra at Davos.15 The thing is, they aren’t just building airports; they’re building the data centers and “green corridors” to power them. Let’s be real—the private sector is already speaking the “integrated language” the Budget is trying to catch up to. It’s an ongoing situation where the “siloed” way of doing things is finally dying. Those too.
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