Science, Discovery, Tech and Environment · 17 February 2026
India adds record 52.5 GW power capacity in first 10 months of FY26
Exam-focused facts from the 17 February 2026 current affairs briefing.
Key facts
- India added 52,537 MW (52.5 GW) of power generation capacity from all sources in April 2025–January 2026, raising total installed capacity to 520.6 GW as of January 2026.
- Over 75% of the new capacity came from renewable energy sources, while the remainder was from thermal sources.
- Renewable capacity additions comprised 39.7 GW, including 35 GW of solar and 4.6 GW of wind power.
- Large hydro projects contributed 3.4 GW, thermal sources 8.8 GW, and nuclear 700 MW during FY 2025-26.
- Fossil fuel-based capacity totals 248.5 GW and non-fossil fuel capacity stands at 272 GW.
- Projects under construction include 158 GW of renewable, 39.6 GW of thermal, 13 GW of hydro-electric, and 6.6 GW of nuclear capacity.
- Contracts for 22.9 GW of coal- and lignite-based projects have been awarded, with another 24 GW in planning stages; 48.8 GW of renewable, 4.3 GW of hydro-electric, and 7 GW of nuclear projects are also under planning.