Energy output up, adequate power available: Rajasthan Energy Minister

Higher domestic generation and new solar-storage projects have reduced Rajasthan's dependence on power exchanges and strengthened supply during peak demand

Rajasthan Energy Minister Heeralal Nagar has said the state has adequate power to meet demand, with the government continuously improving electricity management. 

“Generation from internal sources has increased, reducing reliance on energy exchanges,” Nagar said on Saturday, adding that the government is committed to making Rajasthan self-reliant in the power sector. He said the state is moving towards becoming energy-surplus and has not witnessed load shedding in the past two years. 

Highlighting the state’s growing self-reliance, Nagar said Rajasthan purchased only 214 lakh units of electricity from energy exchanges in April and 2,804 lakh units in May this year to meet summer demand, compared with 2,883 lakh units and 8,273 lakh units, respectively, during the same months last year. 

As a result, the state purchased 8,138 lakh units less electricity across the two months this year, supported by higher availability from internal sources. 

Nagar said Rajasthan is also selling power on energy exchanges. The state sold 1,140 lakh units in April and 417 lakh units in May this year at an average price of around ₹10 per unit. 

He added that the Centre has assured the allocation of 6,000 megawatts (Mw)  of solar power capacity to Rajasthan under the KUSUM-2.0 scheme, its flagship agricultural solar programme. 

Battery energy storage systems (BESS) will be installed alongside these power plants to help meet peak demand through clean energy. Nagar said Rajasthan is making rapid progress in developing battery storage infrastructure. A tender process is underway for 6,000 megawatt-hour (Mwh) of battery storage capacity along with 2,450 Mw of solar capacity at the solar park being developed in Pugal. 

The state power generation corporation is also developing battery storage projects with a cumulative capacity of 6,000 MWh in phases, with completion targeted by September 2027. 

In addition, standalone BESS facilities are being planned at 33 Kilovolt (kV) substations and distribution transformers to ensure reliable power supply during periods of peak night-time demand. “This will enable surplus solar energy generated during the day to be stored and used during evening peak demand, while also improving voltage levels. Initially, the initiative will be launched as a pilot project across the three power distribution corporations and, based on the results, scaled up further,” Nagar said.