India Achieves Rare Drop in Power-Sector CO2 Emissions

India’s carbon dioxide emissions from the power sector fell by 1% year-on-year in the first half of 2025, marking only the second decline in nearly five decades. The drop was driven by record clean-energy additions and unusually mild weather, according to new analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) for Carbon Brief. India added 25.1 GW of non-fossil capacity between January and June, a 69% increase from the previous record, enough to generate nearly 50 TWh annually. Slower electricity demand growth accounted for 65% of the fall in fossil generation, while clean energy expansion and a surge in hydropower made up the rest. Despite the decline, emissions from steel and cement rose sharply due to infrastructure spending. CREA noted that if clean-energy growth continues and demand remains on track, India’s power-sector emissions could peak before 2030 — a major milestone for a sector that has historically driven half of the nation’s emissions growth.