Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet Launches India Grids of the Future Accelerator at Mumbai Climate Week, Anchored by up to $25 million deployment

• New national platform to accelerate India's grid modernization and power distribution reform, supported by All India DISCOM Association (AIDA), International Solar Alliance (ISA) and Champion Utilities
• Will deploy up to $25 million by 2028 with an ambition to unlock $100 million by 2030
• Designed to advance India's twin priorities of economic growth and energy transition under the Government of India's Viksit Bharat 2047 vision

MUMBAI, India, Feb. 18, 2026 /CNW/ -- At Mumbai Climate Week 2026, the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet today launched the India Grids of the Future Accelerator, a national platform through which the Alliance will deploy up to $25 million to modernize power distribution, integrate renewable energy and storage, and prepare India's grids for rapid demand growth. The Alliance signed Memoranda of Understanding with distribution companies (DISCOMs) in Delhi and Rajasthan, designating them as the first cohort of "Champion Utilities" under the Grids of the Future initiative and with the All India DISCOM Association (AIDA).

Reflecting on the launch, Woochong Um, CEO of the Global Energy Alliance, said:

"India's clean energy transition is entering a decisive new phase, one defined not by access alone, but by the ability of power systems to deliver reliability, flexibility, and scale. Through the India Grids of the Future Accelerator, we are working hand-in-hand with utilities to build the digital, financial, and institutional capacity required to integrate renewables and storage at scale. Together with ENTICE 3.0, this marks a decisive shift from pilots to platforms, and from ambition to execution at scale."

Speaking at the launch, Jayant Sinha, the President of Eversource Capital and Former Union Minister and Chair, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance said:

"As India advances towards the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, reliable, modern and future-ready power systems will be central to sustaining growth and energy security. The recent Union Budget reinforces the importance of strengthening infrastructure to enable the clean energy transition at scale. Initiatives like the India Grids of the Future Accelerator demonstrate how coordinated, delivery-focused partnerships can translate national priorities into on-ground outcomes."

The launch brought together senior leaders from government, utilities, and the clean energy ecosystem, including Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation; Seema Paul, Program Director for India at Sequoia Climate Foundation, Jayant Sinha, President Eversource Capital, and SujithNair, CEO, FIDE.

Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, who formally announced the India Grids of the Future Accelerator at Mumbai Climate Week, said:

"Today, energy access is the biggest obstacle to human well-being--but it's also our biggest collective opportunity. India has become a global leader in delivering clean, affordable, abundant energy to the people of the world's most populous country. Now, the Grids of the Future Accelerator will build on that extraordinary progress, helping to modernize India's grid through a first-of-its-kind public, private, and philanthropic collaboration. Thanks to the ambitions of the Global Energy Alliance and so many other partners, the Accelerator will transform India's grid into a digitized, flexible system that can meet the energy demands of the 21^st century and serve as a model for countries around the world."

Having helped drive near-universal electricity access, India now faces a new challenge: moving from connections to energy abundance. The Global Energy Alliance's Grids of the Future initiative is designed to meet this moment as a globally coordinated, locally delivered platform that brings together governments, utilities, financiers, innovators, and technical partners to modernize power systems across the Global South.

By 2030, the India Grids of the Future Accelerator will advance grid transformation through its D4 framework; driving digitalization (D1) of utilities through digital twins and advanced analytics, enabling smarter integration of distributed energy resources (D2), accelerating the democratization (D3) of electricity by empowering consumers to participate in the energy system, and advancing the development (D4) of a strong innovation ecosystem to scale future-ready solutions. Through this integrated approach, the initiative aims to support 15 or more utilities, positively impacting nearly 300 million people across India. The Accelerator will onboard an initial cohort of utilities for early implementation, convene government partners, technology providers, investors, and philanthropic funders into a delivery-focused coalition, and build toward a three-year, $100 million fundraising effort from 2026 to 2028 to unlock large-scale public and private investment.

The event also marked the launch of ENTICE 3.0, the latest edition of the Alliance's flagship Energy Transitions Innovation Challenge. This edition places a particular focus on energy storage and grid digitalization, including the demonstration of non-lithium storage solutions and innovations capable of rapidly digitizing large volumes of grid assets to support faster planning, operations, and renewable energy integration. By directly connecting innovators with utilities, policymakers, and capital providers, ENTICE 3.0 aims to move promising technologies from pilots to large-scale deployment.

The announcements at Mumbai Climate Week 2026 reinforce the Global Energy Alliance's long-term commitment to India, supporting national climate goals while advancing the country's vision for growth, jobs, and energy security through 2047.

SOURCE The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet