Electricity generation up 6% in June quarter amid uptick in demand

Pan-India electricity generation rose by 6.32 per cent during April-June of 2019-2020 (FY20), denoting an uptick in power demand from both, commercial and residential users.

Data collated by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) shows that between April and June of FY20, overall electricity production stood at 339.14 billion units (BU) across all sources compared to 318.98 BU in the correspondng period of FY19. Growth in generation happened across all segments- thermal, nuclear and hydro.

Hydro power generation registered the highest growth of 25.25 per cent. Thermal and nuclear power generation spiked by 4.02 per cent and 9.73 per cent, respectively. Power imports from Bhutan, too, moved up 9.78 per cent in the period under review. 

For the month of June alone, power generation from conventional sources increased by 8.47 per cent. Growth in renewable power generation in June 2019 was 5.84 per cent over the same month last year. June also witnessed fresh capacity additions of 45 megawatt (Mw) of thermal power. 

Pan-India installed capacity at the end of June 2019 stood at 357.87 Gw, data showed. Private producers account for 47 per cent share of the pie. State based utilities account for 29 per cent, followed by central generating stations at 24 per cent. While producers were able to meet the average energy requirement, peak power deficit of 0.4 per cent was experienced during the April-June quarter of the current fiscal.

The nameplate capacity in power has grown at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.7 per cent between 2011-12 and 2018-19, outstripping the demand growth rate of 4.5 per cent. According to projections of the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX), the present installed capacity and planned additions will be sufficient to meet the demand growth of six per cent over the next seven to eight years. According to IEX's presentation, Centre's initiatives like Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana and Saubhagya scheme, as well as the thrust towards 24x7 power supply and rural electrification, gave a boost to power demand across the country.

Another notable initiative -- Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojana or UDAY -- is helping ailing electricity distribution companies (discoms) achieve financial stability and enhance their capability of procuring power. As a combined impact of these initiatives, overall electricity demand and energy requirement rose by 8 per cent and 5.2 per cent, respectively, in 2018-19.