Comments
The country aims to add about 15,000-MW power generation capacity in the current financial year, taking the total capacity to over 1.75 lakh megawatt by the end of this month.
“We have already added about 10,460 MW by now (April-February) and hope to exceed 15,000 MW by the end of this (fiscal) year. This will be the highest capacity addition in any year,” the Power Minister, Mr Sushil Kumar Shinde, told reporters here today.
However, this will be less by about 5,000 MW against the target of adding 20,359 MW in 2010-11 and for the fourth consecutive year of the 11th Five-Year Plan, the country would miss the target.
“I am little upset now as if I don’t get coal and other fuel due to environmental restrictions, I will not be able to even meet out the revised capacity addition target of 62,000 MW during the 11th Plan,” Mr Shinde said.
He was replying to a query on the reasons for capacity addition targets being continuously missed by the country.
He said issues like lesser availability of coal, whose production has been affected in the last one year due to environmental norms, has been presented to the Group of Ministers headed by Mr Pranab Mukherjee for an early solution.
“We have suggested what to do and the matter is under consideration. Let’s wait,” he said while speaking on the sidelines of a conference on power trading.
According to Central Electricity Authority’s data, the Indian power utilities have been able to add only about 47.78 per cent of the target in the last four years at 32,512 MW (between April 2007 and January 2011).
On the other hand, the 11th Five-Year Plan had aimed to achieve an additional generation capacity of 62,262.4 MW during the same period.
This target was subsequently reduced in the mid-term review of the Plan and now India aims to achieve a total power capacity of over 62,000 MW (in five years) by March 2012.
About coal availability, the Minister said its production should increase by 2-4 per cent every year to meet the rising demands of the power sector.
Indian power companies have imported about 10-11 million tonnes of coal so far in the current fiscal, Mr Shinde said, adding that his ministry had fixed an import target of 35 mt of the important fossil fuel during the period.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.