[Answered] Examine the structural bottlenecks impeding India’s transition to a renewable-led energy grid by 2070. Evaluate the role of nuclear power as a critical, carbon-free baseload in displacing coal and ensuring energy security within a decentralized and intermittent power architecture.

Introduction

India’s Net Zero by 2070 pathway, highlighted by NITI Aayog, reveals a paradox: unprecedented renewable capacity expansion alongside persistent structural bottlenecks, necessitating complementary baseload solutions to ensure grid stability and energy security.

Structural Bottlenecks in India’s Renewable-Led Energy Transition

1. Intermittency and Low Capacity Utilisation: Solar and wind, the backbone of India’s renewable push, suffer from inherent intermittency. Low Capacity Utilisation Factors (CUF)—around 20–25% for solar and 30–35% for wind—create a mismatch between installed capacity and actual generation. According to the CEA, this intermittency leads to frequent curtailment, undermining round-the-clock power supply.
2. Grid Inflexibility and Transmission Constraints: A renewable-heavy grid stresses legacy infrastructure designed for coal-based baseload. Delayed Green Energy Corridors, limited real-time balancing, and weak inter-state transmission capacity cause congestion. The IEA (2023) notes that grid readiness, not generation capacity, is India’s primary clean-energy constraint.
3. Storage Deficit and Cost Barriers: Energy storage is the Achilles’ heel of renewable dominance.
   NITI Aayog projects 1,300–3,000 GW of BESS by 2070, yet lithium-ion batteries remain expensive and import-dependent. Pumped Storage Plants (PSPs) face land, ecological, and clearance challenges, slowing deployment.
4. Land, Ecology, and Social Trade-offs: Renewable expansion competes with agriculture and biodiversity. Large solar parks in Rajasthan and Gujarat have clashed with Great Indian Bustard conservation, while land acquisition delays inflate project costs, reflecting a structural land–energy nexus.
5. DISCOM Fragility and Financing Stress: India’s power transition is constrained by weak last-mile institutions. Financially stressed DISCOMs, with losses exceeding ₹6 lakh crore (RBI), limit power offtake and delay payments, discouraging private renewable investment despite falling tariffs.

Nuclear Power as a Carbon-Free Baseload in a Decentralized Grid

1. Firm Power and Grid Reliability: Nuclear energy offers ‘always-on’ electricity with a PLF above 85%. Unlike variable renewables, nuclear provides dispatchable, carbon-free baseload, making it indispensable for frequency regulation and grid inertia as coal phases down.
2. Coal Displacement without Compromising Security: As coal’s share declines to 6–10% under CPS, nuclear fills the reliability gap. NITI Aayog projects nuclear capacity rising to 90–135 GW (CPS) and 295–320 GW (NZS) by 2070, enabling coal retirement without risking blackouts.
3. Support to Hard-to-Abate Sectors: Nuclear power extends beyond electricity generation.
   High-temperature heat from reactors supports green hydrogen, green steel, and ammonia, sectors where renewables alone are insufficient, as highlighted by the IPCC AR6.
4. Small Modular Reactors and Decentralisation: SMRs redefine nuclear’s role in a decentralized architecture. SMRs enable captive baseload power for industries, repurpose retired coal plant sites, and reduce land and transmission requirements—aligning with India’s ‘Viksit Bharat’ industrial vision.
5. Strategic and Technological Spillovers: Nuclear energy strengthens strategic autonomy.
   Indigenous programmes, including AHWR and thorium-based reactors, reduce import dependence while complementing India’s long-term clean-energy innovation ecosystem.

Conclusion

Echoing Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s vision of ‘energy independence’, India’s 2070 grid demands a balanced synthesis of renewables, nuclear resilience, and institutional reform to transform ambition into sustainable reality.