High target for power generation never met: Shinde

The government today said in the Lok Sabha that the high target fixed for power generation in the country was never met.

"The high target set for power generation are not met, but only if high targets are set can we achieve maximum generation for the year," Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said during Question Hour.

Shinde said the generation target for 2009-10 had been fixed at 789,512 million units, which included import of 6,564 MU from Bhutan.

"This represented a growth of about nine per cent over the actual generation during 2008-09 that stood at 723,794 MU including 5,899 MU import from hydro power projects in Bhutan," he said.

"Only if target is set high, will we be able to achieve 650,000 MU generation this year," he said, answering supplementaries.

Shinde said the anticipated gap between demand and supply of electrical energy in the country during 2009-10, as per Central Electricity Authority assessment, was likely to decrease to 9.3 per cent (78,249 MU) from actual gap of 11.1 per cent (86,001 MU) in 2008-09.

In terms of peaking power, it was likely to increase to 12.6 per cent (14,978 MW) during the current year from 11.9 per cent (13,024 MW) actually witnessed last year.