Gautam Adani Says Clean Energy Must Be Affordable, Warns Against Higher Costs

New Delhi: Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani has said India's energy transition must balance decarbonisation with affordable and reliable power, warning that a shift to clean energy should not increase costs for households or slow industrial growth.   

In a LinkedIn post on Wednesday following his meeting with Michael Bloomberg in New Delhi, Adani said the transition would depend on making clean energy economically viable while expanding the infrastructure needed to support India's development. 

“Decarbonisation cannot be an ideological decree that prices out ordinary citizens, shuts down factories or stalls the Global South,” he wrote.

Adani said clean energy must become a reliable and affordable option for households and businesses for the transition to succeed. He cited the need to reduce the additional cost of adopting green energy, while cautioning against continued dependence on existing energy systems amid climate volatility.

“Real progress demands that capital, policy and execution lock arms to drive down the green premium until clean power is undeniably the cheaper, superior choice,” he said.

The Adani Group chairman also highlighted the need for India to expand its power supply, industrial capacity and digital access to support economic development and improve living standards.

He said the infrastructure required for long-term growth extends beyond physical assets such as ports, transmission corridors, green hydrogen plants and computing facilities. Reliable data, accountable institutions and effective governance are equally important, he added.

“True nation-building demands four non-negotiable forces, namely patient capital, physical execution, transparent governance and capable local leadership,” he said.  

The meeting with Bloomberg also covered urban development, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing and green infrastructure. Adani referred to the Dharavi redevelopment project in Mumbai, saying its success should be assessed by improvements in residents' living conditions and livelihoods rather than the amount of real estate developed.

He said the project could become a benchmark for urban renewal if infrastructure development is combined with community trust and protection of local economic activity.

Reflecting on India's development priorities, Adani said infrastructure should ultimately be judged by what people are able to achieve because of it, rather than by the assets constructed.

Bloomberg addressed the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Delhi on Tuesday, where he spoke about India's progress in artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing and green infrastructure, according to the post.