Green Energy Corridor Phase-III: ₹1.86 Lakh Crore Plan for State Power Lines and 50 GWh of Battery Storage
The Union Cabinet has approved Green Energy Corridor Phase-III (GEC-III). It will build intra-state transmission lines (power lines inside each state) along with battery storage, so that up to 135 GW of renewable energy can be carried to users.
The total cost is about ₹1,86,405 crore: ₹1,36,378 crore for transmission and ₹50,000 crore for 50 GWh of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). The Centre will give ₹54,082 crore as Central Financial Assistance. The work is targeted for completion by 2032-33.
The batteries can be placed at renewable power plants or at other key points on the grid. They will help when the sun sets or the wind drops, reduce crowding on power lines, and cut curtailment (when grid operators are forced to switch off clean power because it cannot be carried or used).
The Executive Secretary of the UN climate body (UNFCCC), Simon Stiell, welcomed the scheme. He said it will help India use its growing renewable capacity, and that battery storage gives large economies like India a strategic chance to gain energy security.
The scheme supports India's goal of 500 GW of non-fossil power capacity by 2030. As of 31 July 2026, India's non-fossil capacity stood at about 300.5 GW.
Green Energy Corridor (GEC)
The Green Energy Corridor (GEC) is a government programme to build new electricity transmission lines and substations so that power from solar and wind plants can reach homes and factories. Renewable plants are often built in sunny or windy places far from cities, like the deserts of Rajasthan or the coasts of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. The GEC builds the "highways" that carry this clean power to where it is needed. It is run under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
GEC-III is the third and largest phase of the corridor programme, and the first to add batteries to new state power lines. It aims to make sure the 135 GW of upcoming renewable plants are not stranded or switched off for lack of lines and storage.
Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)
A Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is a very large set of rechargeable batteries connected to the power grid. It stores electricity when there is too much and releases it when there is too little. It works like a giant power bank for the whole grid. Most BESS today use lithium-ion batteries, similar to those in mobile phones and electric cars, but in container-sized units.
GEC-III is the first transmission scheme to fund 50 GWh of batteries along with power lines. The batteries will soak up extra solar and wind power at times of congestion and release it in the evening peak, which is why the UN climate chief described storage as a route to energy security for India.
- Scheme: Green Energy Corridor Phase-III (GEC-III), approved by the Union Cabinet
- Total outlay: ₹1,86,405 crore (₹1,36,378 crore intra-state transmission + ₹50,000 crore BESS)
- Central Financial Assistance: ₹54,082 crore
- Renewable energy evacuation: up to 135 GW across states and UTs
- Battery storage: 50 GWh
- Completion target: 2032-33
- Earlier phases: Phase-I (8 states, about 24 GW), Phase-II (7 states, about 20 GW)
- India's non-fossil capacity: about 300.5 GW as of 31 July 2026; target 500 GW by 2030
- UNFCCC Executive Secretary: Simon Stiell