Generation
Power development in India was first started in 1897 in Darjeeling, followed by commissioning of a hydropower station at Sivasamudram in Karnataka during 1902.
India's electricity generation capacity additions from 1950 to 1985 were very low when compared to developed nations. Since 1990, India has been one of the fastest growing markets for new electricity generation capacity.
The country's annual electricity generation capacity has increased in last 20 years by about 120 GW, from about 66 GW in 1991 to over 100 GW in 2001, to over 185 GW in 2011. India's Power Finance Corporation Limited projects that current and approved electricity capacity addition projects in India are expected to add about 100 GW of installed capacity between 2012 and 2017. This growth makes India one the fastest growing markets for electricity infrastructure equipment. India's installed capacity growth rates are still less than those achieved by China, and short of capacity needed to ensure universal availability of electricity throughout India by 2017.
State-owned and privately owned companies are significant players in India's electricity sector, with the private sector growing at a faster rate. India's central government and state governments jointly regulate electricity sector in India.
As of August 2011, the states and union territories of India with power surplus were Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Tripura, Gujarat, Delhi and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
Major economic and social drivers for India's push for electricity generation include India's goal to provide universal access, the need to replace current highly polluting energy sources in use in India with cleaner energy sources, a rapidly growing economy, increasing household incomes, limited domestic reserves of fossil fuels and the adverse impact on the environment of rapid development in urban and regional areas.
The table below presents the electricity generation capacity, as well as availability to India's end user and their demand. The difference between installed capacity and availability is the transmission, distribution and consumer losses. The gap between availability and demand is the shortage India is suffering. This shortage in supply ignores the effects of waiting list of users in rural, urban and industrial customers; it also ignores the demand gap from India's unreliable electricity supply.
| Item | Value | Date reported | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total installed capacity (GW) | 201.64 | April 2012 | |
| Available base load supply (MU) | 837374 | May 2011 | |
| Available peak load supply (GW) | 118.7 | May 2011 | |
| Demand base load (MU) | 933741 | May 2011 | |
| Demand peak load (GW) | 136.2 | May 2011 |
According to India's Ministry of Power, about 14.1 GW of new thermal power plants under construction are expected to be put in use by December 2012, so are 2.1 GW capacity hydropower plants and a 1 GW capacity nuclear power plant. India's installed generation capacity should top 200 GW in 2012.
In 2010, the five largest power companies in India, by installed capacity, in decreasing order, were the state-owned NTPC, state-owned NHPC, followed by three privately owned companies: Tata Power, Reliance Power and Adani Power.
In India's effort to add electricity generation capacity over 2009–2011, both central government and state government owned power companies have repeatedly failed to add the capacity targets because of issues with procurement of equipment and poor project management. Private companies have delivered better results.
Read more about this topic: Electricity Sector In India
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