India’s energy transition is no longer a distant aspiration. It is a lived reality unfolding across policy corridors, industrial landscapes, and everyday life. As our deep-dive cover story reveals, the country’s clean energy journey is marked by bold ambition, granular innovation, and a growing sense of collective ownership. From rooftop solar adoption and ethanol-fuelled tractors to subsea grid interconnections and complex clean power auctions, the world’s fastest-growing major economy is crafting a uniquely pluralistic model of sustainability, balancing scale with inclusion, and urgency with pragmatism.
The Adani Group, for one, is developing the world’s largest renewable energy park in Khavda, Gujarat. This project, spearheaded by Adani Green Energy, aims to generate 30 GW of clean energy by 2030, powering 16.1 million homes and offsetting 58 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually. The park will be a hybrid solar and wind energy facility spanning
538 square kilometres.
Given our strong democratic ethos established over millennia and challenges emerging from prolonged colonisation, this transformation is not without its tensions. Its resilience continues to be tested against infrastructure bottlenecks, administrative overhauls and geopolitical headwinds. Yet, the story is not just about overcoming challenges; it is about redefining them. Whether through green hydrogen pilots, hybrid mobility solutions, or the rise of prosumers, India is demonstrating that energy reform can be both technically rigorous and emotionally resonant.
Within India’s vast energy architecture, as renewable energy evolves and expands its share in the overall power output, stakeholders are increasingly moving towards complex projects for investments. In a compelling analysis backed by strong data, Crisil Ratings’ Manish Gupta and Ankit Hakhu elucidate how hybrid and storage-backed projects will be driving `3.8 trillion in clean energy investments over the next two years. This issue also features two insightful perspectives from opposite ends of the energy spectrum. If Maurits van Tol, CEO, Catalyst Technologies, sees India as having all the requisite elements to emerge as a global hydrogen powerhouse, Suresh Kumar Narang, CEO, Nabha Power Ltd—a Larsen & Toubro subsidiary—argues for the continued relevance of thermal power in the backdrop of emerging concerns around energy security and renewable intermittency.
In other news, the Reserve Bank of India’s revised project financing guidelines are set to take effect this October. Rajashree Murkute of CareEdge Ratings explains how these directions aim to establish a structured resolution mechanism for addressing credit risks inherent in infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects. All industry—be it steel, energy, semiconductors and data centres—needs water. Shailesh Agarwal of EY India says India needs to develop a national water strategy overseen by a national authority for efficient resource management.
Vimal Nadar of Colliers emphasises a multi-pronged strategy involving stable investment and financing mechanisms, a conducive policy ecosystem and clear governance frameworks to boost the multimodal logistics parks network in the country. Finally, as India enters the race to host the 2036 Summer Olympics—with Ahmedabad proposed as the host city—sporting infrastructure will be in the spotlight. Or, as Gallant Sports Founder & CEO Nasir Ali notes in his special piece in this issue, the journey to the Olympic podium for a potential host nation begins long before the ceremonial Olympic torch is lit. Beyond its hefty billion-dollar budget, the world’s biggest sporting event demands meticulous planning and world-class infrastructure.
As the festive season approaches, we wish you joy, renewal, and continued inspiration.
