A third of 2018 electrification target met: Power minister

The government has electrified some 6,000 villages across the country, against 18,000 targeted by 2018, Power and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday.

At a post-budget 2016-17 meeting here with reporters, Goyal felicitated the Rural Electrification Corp. for achieving one-third of its target with almost three more years left.

He also commended the Energy Efficiency Services Ltd. for distributing over seven crore LED bulbs.

Goyal said that increased coal capacity, power availability and the thrust on renewable energy have spurred growth in the power sector.

"As on date, there is not a single power plant which is without coal. The growth of coal production in 2014-15 was 8.25 percent and during April 2015 to February 2016 it was 9.2 percent," he said.

"By adding 22,800 circuit kilometres of transmission network, around 5,900 MW of additional power supply is now being transferred to Tamil Nadu, Kerela, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry."

Goyal said the power transmission to the southern region was enhanced by 71 percent in the current fiscal and the ministry would increase it to 80 percent to take the power supply up to 9,000MW.