Energy efficiency is a power plant in itself, says Telangana Deputy CM Bhatti

Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka has said the State's rising electricity demand can be addressed not only by adding generation capacity but also by cutting wasteful consumption, describing energy efficiency as a power plant that needs no chimney, coal mine, land or new transmission line.

Speaking at the 25th CII Energy Efficiency Summit 2026 in Hyderabad on Wednesday, he said a unit of electricity saved is cheaper than a unit generated. Energy efficiency, he argued, should be seen not merely as an environmental safeguard but as a means of sharpening economic competitiveness.

Supply-side focus so far

Mr. Bhatti said energy policy has largely been viewed from the supply side, with attention centred on generation capacity, coal availability, renewable energy additions and transmission requirements. He pointed to efficiency as an overlooked alternative sitting "right before us."

Consumption can be brought down, he said, through efficient motors, advanced cooling systems, energy-efficient buildings, improved industrial processes and smart energy management. Permanently reducing every megawatt of demand would ease pressure across the power system, he added.

Growth and demand

With Telangana developing rapidly, the Deputy Chief Minister said the State's electricity needs will keep rising, driven by investment in industries, manufacturing, data centres, life sciences and electronics. Slowing development is not the answer, he said, and the way forward lies in extracting more economic activity from every unit of power consumed.

Lower electricity use by industries would trim their operating costs, while a dip in peak demand would relieve generation and transmission networks, strengthen energy security and reduce emissions, he said. Efficiency, he noted, also lifts resource productivity.

Innovation and technology

Mr. Bhatti observed that significant innovations need not come only from laboratories, and that a technology proven in one industry can be adopted by another — a solution devised for cement could serve steel, and a practice used in a paper mill could become a model elsewhere.

He called for wider use of renewable energy, electrification, digitalisation, smart energy management and artificial intelligence, saying next-generation technologies will be central to efficiency gains.

Investment pitch

Highlighting Telangana's investment climate, he cited the State's international airport, improved road network, Outer Ring Road, reliable power supply, skilled workforce and law-and-order situation as key strengths. The government, he said, treats investors as "wealth creators."