Installed capacity of state units drop in power surplus Gujarat

Private sector propels Gujarat into power hub with increase in power generation capacity by 76 %

Gujarat owes more to private sector for its power surplus status. Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has time and again boasted of Gujarat's success in power generation but a report by the state power regulator shows the installed power generation capacity of state-owned units has declined from 5,215.57 Mw in 2009-10 to 4995.57 Mw in 2010-11.

More strikingly, the share of Gujarat government-owned units in total installed power capacities in state has been plummeting since 2009-10.

As per the report titled 'Gujarat Power Sector: A statistical profile' prepared by Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC), the share of state-owned units in total installed power generation capacity of Gujarat stood at 38.32 per cent in 2009-10, which came down to 32.76 per cent and 27.61 per cent in 2010-11 and 2011-12 respectively.

On the contrary, the installed power generation capacity of the private sector players has increased by over 76 per cent in the past three years, while their share in total power installed capacity surged from 26.22 per cent in 2009-10 to 34.95 per cent in 2011-12. Private companies' installed power capacity in Gujarat has jumped by over 76 per cent from 3568.5 Mw in 2009-10 to 6324.5 Mw in 2011-12.

"The decline in the state sector capacities is mainly due to derating of a couple of power stations with their operational life coming to end," informed an industry source. "The rise in private sector capacities show a positive sign. As against this, the stagnancy in state sector's installed capacity is due to excess power availability in the state," said a GERC official.

However, according to government officials, already couple of state sector projects worth about 3000 Mw are in pipeline and may get commissioned by 2017.

The GERC report also notes that electricity generation by the state sector has remained almost stable at 28,638 MU in 2011-12, tad up from 28,507 million units (MU) in 2009-10. The private sector has generated 25,314 MU in 2009-10, which has increased to 37,116 MU in 2011-12.

The share of state sector in Gujarat's total electricity generation has declined from 40.79 per cent in 2009-10 to 36.41 per cent in 2011-12, while private sector constituted 47.19 per cent in 2011-12, up from 36.22 per cent share in 2009-10 in total electricity generation.

State's total electricity generation was recorded at 69,884 MU in 2009-10 and increased to 78,651 MU in 2011-12. Electricity generation from renewable sources like wind, solar and biomass was 3961 MU, 167 MU and MU respectively in 2011-12.

The state has achieved 554.4 Mw of solar power capacities, which was nil till March 31, 2010 and wind power capacities have increased from 1782 Mw in 2009-10 to 2694 Mw in 2011-12.