{"id":78509,"date":"2026-07-07T18:25:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T12:55:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=78509"},"modified":"2026-07-07T18:28:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T12:58:05","slug":"el-nino-power-planning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/07-07-2026\/el-nino-power-planning","title":{"rendered":"El Ni\u00f1o May Reshape India\u2019s Power Planning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS1\/Climatelogy; GS3\/Environment\/Energy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>As per the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) India\u2019s power system stands to be strained more <\/strong>by the <strong>developing El Ni\u00f1o <\/strong>than that of any other country.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Major Highlights<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>El Nino Conditions: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed <\/strong>that <strong>El Ni\u00f1o conditions had emerged over the equatorial Pacific<\/strong> and were expected to strengthen through the monsoon.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It has forecast below-normal southwest monsoon rainfall at 90% of the long-period average, with a 60% chance of a deficient season.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Rise in Power Generation Gap:<\/strong> CREA projects that <strong>weaker wind and hydropower output,<\/strong> combined with <strong>rising demand for air conditioning,<\/strong> could open a <strong>generation gap of nearly 18 TWh (terawatt-hour)<\/strong> over a period of one year to June 2027.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Coal Fired Plants: <\/strong>The gap would most likely be filled by coal-fired power plants, resulting in an <strong>estimated 17 million tonnes of additional carbon dioxide emissions.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Solar Remains Stable: <\/strong>Unlike hydropower and wind,<strong> solar generation is expected to remain largely stable <\/strong>during El Ni\u00f1o conditions, reinforcing its growing role in India\u2019s energy transition.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Vulnerability Due to Weather: <\/strong>The findings suggested that<strong> India\u2019s power system is becoming increasingly vulnerable to weather driven demand shocks <\/strong>rather than only fluctuations in renewable energy output.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong>El Nino<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>El Ni\u00f1o means <strong>Little Boy<\/strong> in Spanish. It is a climate phenomenon characterized by the periodic warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>During El Ni\u00f1o, <strong>trade winds weaken.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Warm water is pushed back east, toward the west coast of the Americas and as a result <strong>cold water is pushed towards Asia.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"cde0ea\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-62.png\" alt=\"el nino\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-78513\" style=\"--dominant-color: #cde0ea; width:385px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-62.png 720w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-62-300x188.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Impact of El Nino on weather patterns: <\/strong>It leads to rise in global temperature, weakens monsoon, increases risk of wildfires and triggers extreme weather events such as hurricanes, and cyclones, particularly in the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Electricity Generation Capacity of India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In 2025,<strong> total electricity generation increased by 1%,<\/strong><strong>coal generated electricity declined by 4%<\/strong> and renewable electricity generation grew by 22%.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>As of March 2026, <strong>non-fossil installed capacity <\/strong>reached 283.46 GW \u2014 150.26 GW of solar, 56.09 GW of wind, 51.41 GW of large hydro and 8.78 GW of nuclear.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>44.6 GW of solar and 6 GW of wind were added in 2025-26.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Coal remains the largest single source of power,<\/strong> at about 42% of installed capacity, though coal generation fell 3.69% over the year.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Grid operators <strong>curtailed around 2.1 TWh of solar and wind generation<\/strong> last year to keep coal fired plants operating because of<strong> limited system flexibility.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Deploying just 10 gigawatt hours (GWh) of <strong>battery storage could have absorbed that surplus renewable electricity <\/strong>and shifted it to evening peak demand, reducing reliance on coal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is desirable that India must move much <strong>faster on batteries and grid upgrades <\/strong>so that clean energy can meet future demand surges.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Energy Storage<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Energy storage <\/strong>refers to systems that can <strong>store excess renewable electricity<\/strong> <strong>during periods of high generation <\/strong>and discharge it when demand rises but power generation remains low.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Energy storage systems<strong> convert electricity<\/strong> from renewable sources such as solar and wind, when it is available,<strong> into forms that can be stored.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Later, it converts these <strong>back into electricity when need arises.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Types of Energy Storage<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Pumped hydro storage (PHS)<\/strong> uses <strong>surplus electricity to pump water<\/strong> from a lower reservoir to a higher one. When electricity demand peaks, it releases the stored water downhill through turbines to generate power.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) technology<\/strong> stores <strong>electricity chemically <\/strong>and discharges it when needed.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Lithium-ion batteries, <\/strong>particularly lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, are currently the dominant technology for grid-scale storage because of their falling costs, high efficiency and long operational life.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Concentrating solar-thermal storage systems:<\/strong> This technology uses mirrors that capture and focus sunlight onto a receiver.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>As the receiver gets heated, materials such as molten salt are circulated inside the receiver to store the heat.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Compressed-air energy storage systems<\/strong> use excess electricity to compress air and store it in underground caverns or tanks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Flywheel energy storage systems <\/strong>store electricity as rotational energy by spinning a rotor at extremely high speeds.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Gravity energy storage systems<\/strong> use electricity to lift heavy weights to higher elevations. When electricity is needed, the weights are lowered, converting gravitational energy back into electricity through generators.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>India\u2019s Energy Storage Capacity<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The government is primarily focusing on the <strong>two major systems above: PHS and BESS.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>At present, India has an<strong> installed BESS capacity of around 0.27 GW.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>PHS capacity <\/strong>stands at about<strong> 7.2 GW. <\/strong>There are plans, however, for a massive scale-up over the next decade.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A Central Electricity Authority (CEA) plan projects the <strong>country\u2019s total energy storage capacity to reach 174 GW\/888 gigawatt hours by 2035-36.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This includes<strong> 80 GW\/321 GWh of BESS and 94 GW\/567 GWh of PHS.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The 2026-2027 El Ni\u00f1o should be viewed as a <strong>test of India&#8217;s electricity system rather than simply another weather event.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The modelling, which compares the projected El Ni\u00f1o period with the preceding La Ni\u00f1a phase, suggests <strong>climate variability could increasingly shape electricity demand, renewable generation and fossil fuel use.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The findings suggest the<strong> growing importance of batteries, transmission upgrades and grid flexibility <\/strong>alongside<strong> renewable energy expansion<\/strong> as India seeks to build a more resilient power system.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/energy-and-environment\/el-nino-to-dent-indias-wind-hydropower-output-study\/article71189323.ece#:~:text=They%20project%20that%20weaker%20wind,one%20year%20to%20June%202027.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> As per the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) India\u2019s power system stands to be strained more by the developing El Ni\u00f1o than that of any other country.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> Major Highlights <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> El Nino Conditions: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed that El Ni\u00f1o conditions had emerged over the equatorial Pacific and were expected to strengthen through the monsoon. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> It has forecast below-normal southwest monsoon rainfall at 90% of the long-period average, with a 60% chance of a deficient season. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/07-07-2026\/el-nino-power-planning \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78509"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78509\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78515,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78509\/revisions\/78515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}