Tough times for consumers; power deficit touch 11k MW in April
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In signs of worsening power supply situation for consumers, the shortfall in electricity generation during peak hours stood at nearly 11,000 MW in April as fuel scarcity hurt performance of thermal plants.
The country's peak power deficit -- shortfall in generation capacity during the time when the electricity consumption is the maximum -- touched 10,876 MW in April, according to the official data.
The significant deficit implies non-availability of enough electricity to meet the needs of consumers. Many states, especially in south India, are already grappling with load shedding and power cuts.
Data compiled by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) showed that total power generation capacity was just 1,17,124 MW last month whereas the demand was pegged at 1,28,000 MW.
In terms of million units, the country's total power demand was 78,947 MUs but availability was only 72,447 MUs. Megawatt (MW) is used to refer to generation capacity while Million Unit (MU) indicates the amount of power produced.
For instances, a 500 MW capacity plant running for 24 hours can produce 12 MUs of energy. Consumers in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and union territory Puducherry were the worst affected by electricity shortage. Severe coal shortage is hurting power generation.
Thermal plants account for majority of electricity produced in India. On an average, at least 25 thermal power stations on an average in the country were starved of required coal in April.
Experts felt that power situation could worsen in the coming months, unless the fuel issues are addressed at the earliest. In the south, the peak demand shortage stood at almost 15 per cent in April.
The actual availability in th region was 30,681 MW while the demand hovered at 36,067 MW, as per CEA. Apart from southern states, another worst-hit state was Uttarakhand, where the peak power deficit touched 15.7 per cent in April.
Among other states, Delhi, Gujarat and Goa seemed to be better off when it came to electricity supply. Going by the data, Delhi managed to meet its peak power demand of 3,779 MW. The deficits in Gujarat and Goa were just around 0.2 per cent and 0.4 per cent respectively.
In the Northern region, that includes Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, the peak deficit touched 7 per cent.
In the Western region, Madhya Pradesh recorded around 18 per cent power deficit.
The Power Ministry expects to generate around 9,20,000 MUs of electricity this fiscal. Out of the total, 7,60,000 MUs would be from coal-based plants. The government might also import 5,000 MUs electricity from Bhutan.
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