Accelerating India’s clean energy transition starts with transparency. This report breaks down CO₂ emissions across three DISCOMS: Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM), Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO), and Electricity Department-Puducherry (EDP). Across FY2017-18 to FY2023-24 critical gaps and opportunities in fossil fuel dependency, renewable integration, and regulatory oversight. While TANGEDCO struggles with emissions reduction despite its renewable growth, BESCOM sets the standard for disclosure, and EDP’s proactive tracking links emissions reporting to clean energy expansion. Investors and policymakers can use these insights to drive actionable strategies, ensuring a sustainable path towards decarbonisation.  

BESCOM: Transitioning amidst challenges

BESCOM has demonstrated efforts to diversify its energy portfolio. From FY2017–18 to FY2023–24, the share of renewable energy in BESCOM’s procurement increased from 19% to 27%, with solar energy being a significant contributor. However, the reliance on fossil fuels, particularly coal and lignite, remained substantial, averaging 60% during this period. This dependence led to fluctuations in BESCOM’s carbon emissions, with a notable increase post-pandemic due to reduced hydroelectric generation and increased coal usage.

EDP: steady progress towards decarbonisation

EDP has made commendable strides in reducing its carbon footprint. Between FY2017–18 and FY2023–24, EDP reduced its reliance on fossil fuels from 68% to 43%. This shift was facilitated by increased procurement of renewable energy sources, particularly wind and solar, which grew to 16% of the energy mix by FY2023–24. Additionally, EDP’s emission factor decreased from 0.80 tCO₂/MWh to 0.61 tCO₂/MWh, reflecting a cleaner energy supply.

TANGEDCO: Facing Emission Challenges

TANGEDCO, being one of the largest DISCOMs, faces significant challenges in its energy transition. From FY2017–18 to FY2023–24, fossil fuels consistently constituted over 50% of TANGEDCO’s energy procurement. This heavy reliance resulted in a 33% increase in absolute CO₂ emissions, rising from 54.48 million tonnes to 83.05 million tonnes. Notably, emissions from lignite-based power plants more than doubled during this period, underscoring the need for a strategic shift towards cleaner energy sources.

KEY FINDINGS

Fossil dependence and diversification

• In FY2023-24, BESCOM procured 67% of its electricity from fossil fuels, followed by TANGEDCO at 52%, and EDP at 43%.

• From 2017-18 to 2023-24, EDP decreased fossil fuel procurement by 37%, increased nuclear energy procurement by 17%, and renewable energy procurement increased by 16%.

• BESCOM renewable energy procurement increased by 30% from FY2017-18 to FY2023-24, while it maintained the fossil fuel procurement at around 50% from FY2020-21 to FY2022-23.

• TANGEDCO maintained a 51% average fossil fuel share over the entire period. TANGEDCO’s non-fossil fuel share decreased from 25% in FY2017-18 to 37% in FY2023-24.

Emission trends from FY2017-18 to FY2023-24

• EDP reported the lowest emission factor (EF) among the three DISCOMs, a decrease of 24% from 0.80 tCO2/MWh in FY2017-18 to 0.60 tCO2/MWh in FY2023-24.
• BESCOM showed a decrease in EF by 40% from 0.76 tCO2/MWh to 0.71 tCO2/MWh by FY2021-22. However, it may be noted that in FY2021-22, it achieved an EF of 0.46 tCO2/MWh in FY2023-24.
• TANGEDCO followed the national average, with EF initially decreasing to 0.65 tCO2/MWh in FY2020-21 before increasing to 0.75 tCO2/MWh in FY2023-24, remaining above the national average of 0.73 tCO2/MWh.

Absolute emissions trends FY2017-18 to FY2023-24

• TANGEDCO: Annual CO2 emissions increased by 47% from 54.48 million tCO2 to 83.05 million tCO2.
• BESCOM: Annual CO2 emissions increased by 30% from 23.59 million tCO2 to 30.60 million t CO2.
• EDP: Annual CO2 emission increased by 5% from 2.61 million tCO2 to 2.75 million t CO2.