Energy is the backbone of the modern economy, driving industrial productivity, transport, connectivity, trade and basic necessities. For decades, the state of Uttar Pradesh’s power sector was plagued by shortages, load shedding, biased distribution and urban-rural divide, with lakhs of unelectrified villages languishing in darkness. Between 2014 and 2017, the crisis reached its lowest point.
Despite tariff hikes of up to 60 per cent, supply remained abysmal. At the end of the Samajwadi Party’s rule, the maximum power output was just 13,000 MW. By May 2026, under CM Yogi Adityanath, the state successfully met its peak demand of 31,824 MW, nearly triple and, moreover, the highest in the state’s history. Uttar Pradesh has not just overcome its power deficit but is also redefining energy management by setting new benchmarks in coverage and reliability. This transformation has not happened by accident. It is the result of a double-engine government strategy initiated in 2017 that prioritized the three pillars of the power sector: generation, transmission and distribution.
With regard to generation, the government has aggressively expanded generation capacity from less than 5,000 MW in 2014 to 9,120 MW by March 2026, nearly doubling in just over a decade. This active expansion, attrib ute d to infrastr ucture modernization, capacity addition and a push towards renewables, ensures that the state is no longer dep endent on external p ower fluctuations during peak demand. Likewise, the total capacity of the major sub-stations which was 39,000 MVA in 2017 has now reached 2 lakh MVA in 2025; almost six times higher than during SP’s rule.
The state has also expanded its supply network. Under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana and the Saubhagya Scheme, large-scale electrification work has been carried out in rural areas. Additionally, continuous effort is centred around reliable distribution. Nearly 1.6 lakh kilometres of old and damaged power lines and nearly 30 lakh damaged and deteriorating electricity poles have been replaced. Smart meters have been introduced to improve monitoring and billing. These steps have reduced losses by DISCOMs, with transmission losses having dropped to 3.2 per cent and strengthened control over power theft leading to efficiency.
While the pre-2017 period was marked by systemic failure that stifle deconomic growth and exasperated the common man, in the new regime, generation and power capacity has enabled cooling fans running in the scorching summer heat, tubewells irrigating fields and providing a major boost to the growth of cottage industries, small businesses, MSMEs, and industrial manufacturing which collectively are driving state’s economy. The most impactful aspect of these reforms has been the equitable distribution of power.
In the past, electricity access was defined by the rural-urban divide and regional bias. Samajwadi Party’s administration was notorious for favouring its strongholds while leaving other regions in darkness. Additionally, there was a stark rural-urban divide too. There were reports of district headquarter towns getting nearly 14 hours of electricity a day and villages struggling with nearly 8 hours, with lakhs of villages stifling in total darkness. Today, the administration is working to bridge those divides to provide uninterrupted power supply to all regions.
Further, nearly 1.7 lakh habitations have been electrified since 2017. This shift is transformative for the rural areas, giving farmers reliable irrigation for a stronger agrarian economy, as well as a dignified life to crores of men and women in rural areas. Equally significant has been the citizen- centric approach with communication and transparency as its core towards addressing citizen needs and grievances. Chief Minister Adityanath has emphasized a technology-driven, responsive, and sensitive approach for addressing citizens grievances.
Portals and prompt grievance redressal are examples of this. Additionally, with a view to providing long term stability and reliability, the state government is actively future-proofing the grid. The recent approval of Rs 42.75 crore for five new substations in the Gorakhpur division is a pro-active effort in the right direction. The state is also securing its future electricity needs with an increasing share of non-conventional energy sources such as solar, biomass etc. Uttar Pradesh’s power sector transformation is not just a stand-alone development index. It serves as the bedrock on which industrial, economic and social development is being built. It highlights the determination, political will and sincerity of the Adityanath government. The lights are on; they are staying on and the state is finally powered for the future.
The writers are, respectively, National Spokesperson, BJP, and a development and sustainability expert.