India’s Union Power Minister Manohar Lal highlighted, at the opening of the meeting in Gurugram, the BRICS Digital Center of Excellence for Smart Grids and Energy Storage as a significant milestone in deepening collective efforts within the bloc toward resilient, secure, and future-proof energy systems.

Lal affirmed that as the global energy landscape evolves, smart grids, digital technologies, the integration of renewable energy, and energy storage will shape the electricity systems of the future.

The Indian minister noted that a reflection of the commitment to a sustainable energy future of India is a remarkable progress over the last decade, as it has achieved universal access to electricity and strengthened its transmission infrastructure, to become a global benchmark in renewable energy.

He noted that India’s large-scale smart metering program, along with ambitious targets of nearly 100 gigawatts (GW) of pumped storage and around 80 GW of battery energy, paves the way for a modern and reliable electricity sector.

Lal pointed out that under India’s BRICS Presidency, our energy agenda remains firmly anchored in three priorities: energy security and sustainability, energy access and equity, and technology and innovation.

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