A background note can be accessed here: MoSPI Expert Committee Proposes Overhaul of India’s Energy Statistics System
The Expert Committee argues that India should move beyond publishing fragmented energy statistics towards building an integrated energy information system aligned with international standards. How might this shift transform energy policymaking in India?
India’s energy governance has long operated in silos across sectors, methodologies and standards, limiting its capacity for integrated policymaking. The Expert Committee’s recommendation to develop an integrated energy information system represents an institutional reform that creates a common evidence base across the energy ecosystem, enabling more coherent and coordinated policymaking.
Our current statistical system cannot cater to the changing energy landscape of the country, including the energy transition, renewable capacity expansion and the electrification of the economy, as it fails to integrate statistics into a coherent analytical framework that policymakers can rely on. The proposed system would strengthen inter-ministerial coordination and align India’s statistics with international frameworks to enhance transparency and comparability. For instance, integrated data would allow ministries to jointly plan for a rise in electric vehicle (EV) registrations in areas such as charging infrastructure, grid upgrades and renewable electricity supply. It would also strengthen India’s engagement with the International Energy Agency (IEA), as more consistent national data would improve global energy outlooks and market analyses.
Such a transition will require upgrades in technical capabilities, institutional coordination and agreement on common standards. As India advances its objectives of energy security, economic growth and net-zero commitments, integrated energy intelligence will support long-term planning, strengthen investor confidence and improve the implementation of national initiatives.
A central recommendation is to strengthen demand-side energy statistics through sector-wise databases while incorporating emerging sources such as biofuels, off-grid renewables and electric vehicle electricity demand. To what extent does this represent a fundamental shift in India's energy planning framework?
India’s energy planning landscape has traditionally focused on expanding energy supply rather than understanding how, when and where energy is consumed. The Committee’s emphasis on demand-side energy statistics, alongside emerging energy sources, would provide planners with a more comprehensive understanding of India’s evolving energy landscape.
The current disconnect lies between installed capacity and actual generation. The proposed shift would enable India to move from reactive energy planning to proactive management of consumption patterns, leading to more informed decisions on infrastructure investment, demand forecasting, grid upgrades and efficient electrification. This broadens the statistical focus from measuring energy availability to understanding how energy is consumed across sectors and technologies. The Prime Minister Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) scheme, for example, could be strengthened if policymakers were able to identify future charging hotspots, anticipate grid stress and plan timely investments in substations.
The challenge lies in transforming dispersed consumption data into actionable intelligence through harmonised methodologies, interoperable data systems across state distribution companies (DISCOMs) and stronger institutional coordination. Global energy shocks continue to highlight the vulnerabilities of India’s energy system, while better demand-side intelligence can support demand response strategies and strengthen the country’s energy security.
The report recommends annual State and Union Territory energy statistics, harmonised methodologies and common reporting standards to support decentralised energy planning. How should India balance the need for nationally comparable energy statistics with the growing importance of state-specific energy transitions?
In a federal energy system as diverse as India’s, decentralised energy governance requires harmonised statistics across States and Union Territories to bridge the gap between national targets and local realities, ensuring that state-level evidence meaningfully informs national energy planning.
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) Committee advocates standardisation without centralisation, allowing India’s energy transition to become more coordinated, efficient and evidence-based. Every state would follow the same statistical language while using the resulting information to address its own energy priorities. Achieving this will require sustained capacity building, common data standards, compatible digital platforms and interoperable data systems that strengthen states’ analytical capabilities while preserving their autonomy to translate data into policy.
By conforming to the International Recommendations for Energy Statistics (IRES), India can establish a standardised reporting protocol while enabling state-specific dashboards to feed directly into the national energy information system in real time. National Energy Accounts can therefore evolve into a system built from robust state-level evidence rather than being a simple top-down aggregation. As the central government pursues national goals such as the National Electricity Plan, Green Energy Corridors and the 500-gigawatt non-fossil fuel capacity target, nationally comparable energy statistics will ensure that regional priorities are systematically reflected in policymaking, recognising that the energy transition is ultimately implemented through the states.