Can India build a China-like super grid for its clean energy push?

China built its super grid over two decades through massive state investment and planning. Experts explain whether India can realistically replicate

India may need a “China-like super grid” to fully unlock its clean energy ambitions, Union Renewable Energy Secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi recently said, underlining the scale of infrastructure the country will require as renewable energy capacity rapidly expands.

 

The comment comes as India races toward its 2030 target of 500 GW non-fossil fuel capacity, while electricity demand continues to rise due to industrial growth, rapid urbanisation, expanding technology needs and a growing population.

 

However, generating renewable energy is only one part of the challenge. The bigger question is how to move that electricity efficiently across a country as large and geographically diverse as India. That is where China’s “super grid” enters the conversation.

 

What is China’s super grid?

China’s supergrid is one of the world’s largest electricity transmission systems. Built around ultra-high-voltage (UHV) transmission lines, the network moves electricity generated in remote regions across thousands of kilometres with minimal energy loss.

 

Dr Faruk G Patel, founder and CMD of KPI Green Energy, told Business Standard that China’s grid is “the most advanced long-distance transmission system built till now”.

 

“Over 60,000 kilometres of ultra-high voltage lines move 8 to 12 gigawatts at a time across distances of 2,000-3000 kilometres or more, stitching together a continent-sized nation into a single dispatchable network,” Dr Patel said.

 

The system allows China to transport electricity from wind, solar, hydro and coal-rich western provinces to densely populated industrial centres in the east. This is important because many of China’s largest renewable energy projects are located in deserts and sparsely populated inland regions, far away from cities where electricity demand is concentrated.

 

China started pursuing UHV technology in the early 2000s and commissioned its first major UHV project in 2009. Over the next two decades, the country steadily expanded the network through successive five-year plans, massive public investment, long-term industrial policy and centralised planning, driven primarily by two state-backed giants - the State Grid Corporation of China and China Southern Power Grid.

 

China is now preparing for another expansion phase. According to reports from January this year, China’s State Grid plans to invest 4 trillion yuan ($574 billion) between 2026 and 2030 to further upgrade and expand the country’s electricity network. The investment marks a 40 per cent increase over the previous five-year cycle as Beijing accelerates grid modernisation and renewable energy integration to ensure carbon emissions peak before 2030.

 

China is also increasingly deploying domestically developed grid management systems known as “Solvers”, which use real-time data to determine when power plants should operate, how electricity flows across the network and how assets are allocated. As renewable energy sources such as solar and wind fluctuate depending on weather conditions, these ultra-advanced algorithms are important for maintaining grid stability and managing electricity demand efficiently.

Where does India stand?

Kriti Mutreja, associate consultant, Centre For Accelerating India's Growth at Nation First Policy Research and Change Foundation (NFPRC), told Business Standard that China has built over 40,000 km of UHV direct current transmission lines operating at up to ±1,100 kV.

 

"In comparison, India currently operates a fully synchronised national grid spanning nearly 494,000 circuit kilometres with voltages up to 765 kV AC," she said.

 

China’s renewable scale is also significantly larger. "Its combined wind and solar installed base stands at roughly 1,840 GW, while India's is 250 GW," informed Dr Patel.

 

According to data from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), India's HVDC network stood at 19,375 circuit kilometres in 2022, with very few additions in the two preceding years. By comparison, China's massive HVDC network had already exceeded 40,000 kilometres by the end of 2020.

 

However, experts say India has accelerated transmission expansion in recent years.

What steps has India taken so far?

India has significantly expanded its renewable energy capacity over the past decade while also accelerating transmission infrastructure and grid modernisation efforts.

Key developments also include:

• More than 50 GW of renewable projects are currently under implementation
• Green Energy Corridors are being developed to improve renewable evacuation
• Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and pumped hydro projects are being scaled up
• Policies such as PM-KUSUM, Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPOs), ISTS waivers and PLI schemes are boosting clean energy adoption and domestic manufacturing

These represent the core pillars of India’s strategy to hit its 500 GW non-fossil fuel target by 2030.

 

Dr Patel  also pointed to several ongoing projects that reflect India’s evolving grid ambitions. The Bhadla–Fatehpur 6 GW HVDC link is expected to carry enough electricity to power nearly 60 million homes, while the Ladakh corridor combines 13 GW of HVDC evacuation capacity with 12,000 MWh of battery storage, a level of integration that China’s early UHV projects did not attempt.

 

He also highlighted the Khavda–South Olpad corridor, which deploys Voltage Source Converter (VSC) HVDC technology that is considered more flexible and grid-stable than many older systems still used across China’s network.

What challenges does India still face?

Despite the progress, experts say India’s biggest challenge is synchronising renewable energy growth with transmission infrastructure.

 

Akshay Hiranandani, CEO at Serentica Renewables, told Business Standard that renewable generation is often commissioned before transmission connectivity is fully ready, leading to curtailment and inefficiencies.

 

“Climate extremes will further stress this mismatch,” Hiranandani said, adding that India also needs stronger system flexibility and faster grid build-out.

Other major hurdles include:

• Land acquisition and forest clearance delays
• Financial stress among distribution companies
• Lack of grid-scale battery storage
• Coordination challenges between Centre and states
• Limited digitalisation and real-time monitoring systems

Can India replicate China's model?

Experts believe India can achieve a similar outcome but through a very different route.

 

Unlike China’s highly centralised system led by a single state-owned entity, India operates through a federal structure involving multiple state utilities, regulators and private players.

 

Mutreja said India can draw “selective lessons” from China’s grid expansion model while pursuing an approach suited to its own national and institutional structure.

 

Yashodhan Ramteke, CEO at EcoGuard Global, told Business Standard that India could take 15-20 years to develop a China-like super grid.

 

Experts believe that India’s model may ultimately become more resilient because it combines state investment, private capital and international partnerships.

 

“China built its supergrid because its geography demanded it and its system permitted it. India is building its own version under harder conditions. The grid will look different. The ambition is the same,” Dr Patel said.