Why Karnataka should move away from coal to be self-reliant in electricity

Karnataka's installed capacity, including renewables, thermal, hydro and nuclear, is estimated to reach 38 GW by 2027-28, up 43% from 27 GW as on March 2018

By adding 11 gigawatt (GW) renewables capacity in the coming decade, or as much as 11 coal-fired power plants of 1,000 MW each, Karnataka–the national leader in renewable energy generation–could become self reliant in electricity by 2027-28 and not add to its current fossil-fuel capacity, according to a new study.

If successful, renewables with 23 GW or 60% of the state’s installed capacity will generate 43% of the 110 terawatt-hour (TWH) electricity demand of Karnataka by 2027-28, said the July 2018 report by The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), a