India to add 15,000 MW generation capacity in 2011

The country aims to add about 15,000 MW power generation capacity in the current financial year, taking the total capacity to over 1.75 lakh megawatt by the end of this month.

"We have already added about 10,460 MW by now (April- February) and hope to exceed 15,000 MW by the end of this (fiscal) year. This will be the highest capacity addition in any year," Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde told reporters here.

However, this will be less by about 5,000 MW against the target of adding power generation capacity of 20,359 MW in 2010-11 and for the fourth consecutive year of the 11th Five Year Plan the country would miss the targets.

"I am little upset now as if I don't get coal and other fuel due to environmental restrictions, I will not be able to even meet out the revised capacity addition targets of 62,000 MW during the 11th plan," Shinde said.

He was replying to a query on the reasons for capacity addition targets being continuously missed by the country.

He said issues like lesser availability of coal, whose production has been affected in last one year due to environmental norms, has been presented to the Group of Ministers headed by Pranab Mukherjee for an early solution.

"We have suggested what to do and the matter is under consideration. Let's wait," Shinde said while speaking on the sidelines of a conference on power trading.

According to Central Electricity Authority's data, the Indian power utilities have been able to add only about 47.78 per cent of the target in last 4 years at 32,512 MW (between April, 2007 to January, 2011).

On the other hand, the 11th Five Year Plan had aimed to achieve an additional generation capacity of 62,262.4 MW during the same period.

This target was subsequently reduced in the mid-term review of the Plan and now India aims to achieve a total power capacity of over 62,000 MW (in five years) by March, 2012.

Talking about the coal availability, the Power Minister said its production should increase by 2-4 per cent every year to meet the rising demands of the power sector.

Indian power companies have imported about 10-11 million tonnes (MT) of coal so far in the current fiscal, Shinde said, adding his ministry had fixed an import target of 35 MT of the important fossil fuel during the period.