The total volume of interregional electricity transfer fell 2.7 per cent during FY26. This is the first time in recent years that this metric has shown a year-on-year decline.
Dynamics of the overall IR transfer are influenced mainly by the Northern Region (NR) grid and the Western Region (WR) grid. NR is typically a large importer and WR, a significant exporter. The WR-NR transfer (from WR to NR) is always the biggest component of overall IR transfer.
In FY26, there was a marked change in trends with respect to NR and WR. Imports by NR fell sharply by 8.4 per cent to reach 105,498 MU in FY26 from 115,212 MU in FY25. Correspondingly, exports from WR were 5.2 per cent lower in FY26.
With the result, the WR-NR transfer volume in FY26 dropped significantly by 8.4 per cent to 81,898 MU from 89,430 MU in FY25. This was the main factor responsible for the shrinkage in overall IR transfer.
The drop in imports by NR was compounded by an increase in exports from NR. These rose by 5.2 per cent from 22,703 MU in FY25 to 23,862 MU in FY26. With the result, NR was a net importer to a lesser extent in FY26 – 81,636 MU as against 92,510 MU in FY25.
SR, which continues to a net importer of electricity, is however, showing lesser reliance on imports, ostensibly due to higher RE generation within the region. In FY26, SR saw its imports fall by 2.1 per cent, supported by a 21.8 per cent growth in exports. As a consequence, SR was a net importer to a lower extent of 55,611 MU in FY26, as against 60,820 MU in FY25.
Both WR and ER continued to be net exporters of electricity but their net export level was considerably lower in FY26. This was more pronounced in the case of WR whose net export level fell to 86,669 MU in FY26 from 97,799 MU in FY25.
Interregional transfer capacity
As of March 31, 2026, India’s overall interregional transfer capacity was 120,340 MW, up from 118,740 MW as on March 31, 2025. The addition in FY26, at 1600 MW, was entirely on the ER-WR corridor and was realized through the commissioning of an ISTS-TBCB project of PGCIL housed under “Powergrid ERWR Power Transmission Ltd” in June 2025. This project essentially involved building the 400kV double-circuit Jeypore-Jagdalpur line running from Jeypore (Odisha, ER) to Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh, WR), spanning 136 ckm.
