Power deficit declines to 0.2% in November from 2% in April this yr

Power deficit, or the gap between electricity required and supplied, has fallen from 2 per cent in April this year to 0.2 per cent in November 2022, as per latest government data.

However, the power deficit has increased sequentially from 0.1 per cent (124 million units) in October 2022. It stood at 0.2 per cent (233 million units) in November 2021.

The data showed that the deficit was 2,752 million units (MU) in April this year, which came down to 199 MU in November 2022.

The power deficit was 609 MU (0.4 per cent) in May, 796 MU (0.6 per cent) in June, 434 MU (0.3 per cent) in July, 465 MU (0.4 per cent) in August and 312 MU (0.2 per cent) in September.

During the April-November period of this fiscal, power deficit rose to 0.6 per cent from 0.4 per cent in the same period in 2021.

Power deficit in actual terms increased to 5,691 MU in April-November 2022 from 4,058 MU in the year-ago period.

Power deficit in the entire fiscal 2021-22 was 5,787 MU (0.4 per cent).

Union Power Minister R K Singh recently told the Lok Sabha in a written reply that against a peak demand of 215 GW, capacity of 408.7 GW has already been installed and 25,580 MW of thermal power capacity and 76,130 MW of renewable energy capacity is under installation.

The whole country has been connected by one integrated grid which can transfer 112 GW power from one corner of the nation to another, he had stated.

Experts said the meagre power deficit is either because of technical reasons or due to discoms' inability to pay for the required power supply.

They also said the power deficit would be completely eliminated as the government has taken many steps to improve the financial health of the discoms, with main focus on reducing their outstanding dues towards generating companies (gencos).

The discoms reduced their dues by Rs 24,680 crore in the last six month till November 2022.

"With the implementation of Electricity (LPS and Related Matters) Rules, 2022, remarkable improvement has been seen in recovery of outstanding dues of Suppliers including Generating Companies, Transmission Companies and Traders," a power ministry statement had stated.

The total outstanding dues of states which were at Rs 1,37,949 crore as on June 3, 2022 have been reduced by Rs 24,680 crore to Rs 1,13,269 crore with timely payment of just four EMIs (equate monthly installments), it had added.