India to meet 76% electricity requirement in 2023-24 from thermal power plants

nuclear capacity totalling 8,000 MW is under various stages of construction

India will meet 75.66 per cent of the electricity requirement of 1,750 billion units in fiscal 2023-24 from thermal power plants, the government told parliament on July 27.

"The electricity generation programme has been fixed at 1,750 BU for the year 2023-2024. 75.66 per cent of electricity would be generated from thermal power plant with an average plant load factor (PLF or capacity utilisation) of 66.90 per cent,” stated Union Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh in a written reply to Lok Sabha.

Further, he also informed the House that there is adequate capacity available in the country to meet the rising demand for power with a projected energy surplus of 56,796 million units (3.6 per cent) and a peak surplus of 1,717 MW (0.7 per cent) in 2023-24. In order to increase the power generation capacity in the country, 18 coal-based thermal power projects having a total capacity of 25,440 MW, one gas-based thermal power project with 370 MW capacity and 42 hydro-electric projects (above 25 MW) having a total capacity of 18,033.5 MW (as on 30th June 2023) are under construction in the country, he informed the House.

He also stated that nuclear capacity totalling 8,000 MW is under various stages of construction. Singh explained that there is adequate capacity available in the country to meet the rising demand for power with a projected energy surplus of 56,796 MU (3.6 per cent) and a peak surplus of 1,717 MW (0.7 per cent) in the year 2023-24. During April-June 2023 period, 4,07,762 million units of electricity were supplied against the demand of 4,08,621 million units leaving a deficit of 858 million units or 0.2 per cent, the minister said in another written reply to the House.

"There is adequate availability of electricity in the country. There is a negligible gap between energy requirement and energy supplied on account of factors attributable to discoms such as constraints in the distribution network, financial constraints, commercial reasons etc.," Singh stated.