Role of Scenario Planning in Tamil Nadu’s Energy Transition

Solar PV and Wind energy in Tamil Nadu accounts for nearly 45% of the total installed capacity and 20-25% of generation mix. With India announcing an ambitious 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity target by 2030, utilities at the state level will play a crucial role in managing addition of renewable capacities along with changing demand patterns. In Tamil Nadu, while there have been efforts to integrate higher capacities of RE in the electricity mix, given the potential RE capacity and existing fossil fuel capacity, can renewables act as a lifeline for the state in the years to come? This would require the state to carefully plan its generation capacity levels in line with its potential demand trends, planned capacity additions, retirements of existing fossil fuel fleets, improving efficiency levels, and achieving state and national policy targets. Scenario analyses can aid the state in project-level planning and financial investment decisions as well as in integrated resource planning processes, infrastructure planning, capital investment plans, budgets, and multiyear tariff orders.  

WRI India is conducting a workshop to share the role of scenario analysis in electricity planning by presenting plausible supply and demand trends in Tamil Nadu’s energy mix by 2030. This workshop will conduct a panel discussion to hear views from experts on implications of Tamil Nadu’s current electricity situation, the current set of resource and financial challenges the sector faces and examine how renewables could pave a favorable pathway in the state’s transition to clean energy. 

This workshop is under Sustainable Energy Transformation – Tamil Nadu (SET-TN), which is a collaborative initiative by Auroville Consulting (AVC), Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG), and the World Resources Institute India (WRI India). SET aims to facilitate higher clean energy deployment in Tamil Nadu by working with stakeholders to find sustainable and equitable solutions.

SPEAKERS

• Vikram Kapur, Additional Chief Secretary, Planning & Development at Government of Tamil Nadu
• Ann Josey, Fellow, Prayas Energy Group (PEG)
• G. Sundarrajan, Poovulagin Nanbargal
• Martin Scherfler, Co-founder, Auroville Consulting
• Sibi Arasu, Independent Journalist
• Bharath Jairaj, Executive Director, Energy Program, WRI India
• Sandhya Sundararagavan, Lead, Energy Transitions, Energy Program, WRI India
• Amit Kumar, Senior Fellow, WRI India (Moderator)