Poor capacity addition coupled with drying water reservoirs has led to peak power deficit rising to 14.3 per cent in November, compared with 12.9 per cent in the same month a year ago.
This rise in the deficit has come despite a fall of around 470 Mw in demand for electricity during the month compared with November 2007. Average deficit for the month too went up to 11.3 per cent compared with 10.4 per cent in the corresponding month last year. “Higher deficit in November is mainly because hydro power generation has come down. The capacity addition was also low,” said Power Secretary Anil Razdan.
The total capacity addition of 150 Mw achieved in November has also fallen short of the target of 1,269 Mw, according to the monthly capacity addition report released by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the apex power sector planning body. This is in contrast to the capacity addition of 1,350 Mw achieved in November 2007 as against the target of 361 Mw.
The data also show that between October and November 2008, while the electricity demand of 106,917 Mw fell by around 2,000 Mw (which is greater than the decrease of 1,525 Mw in the demand for power in the same period last year), the total power generated — 91,676 Mw — decreased by about 2,900 Mw. This lower generation has pushed up the peak deficit to 14.3 per cent.
“The situation should be better in December as three of NTPC’s stations, including Kahalgaon and Sipat, will start running on full load. This will lead to an additional 2,000 Mw for the grid,” Razdan said.
| WIDENING GAP | ||||
| Power deficit (%) | Demand | Met | Shortfall | |
| Nov-08 | 14.3 | 1,06,917 | 91,676 | 15,241 |
| Oct-08 | 13.1 | 1,08,884 | 94,566 | 14,318 |
| Nov-07 | 12.9 | 1,07,386 | 93,517 | 13,869 |
| Oct-07 | 14.6 | 1,08,911 | 92,976 | 15,935 |
| Figures in Mw Source- CEA | ||||
“We have asked NTPC to source spot LNG and naphtha, which are cheaper now, so that no capacity remains idle,” he added.
The data further reveal that the total power generated from hydro resources in the country in November stood at 7,788 Mw, which fell by around 511 Mw against its target due to low reservoir levels. In the same period last year, the country’s hydro power plants generated 950 Mw more than their target of 7,647 Mw for the month.
“Hydro power generation this time has been low as the monsoon has been weak. The reservoirs are empty because of low rainfall,” said a senior official from the CEA.
Lower rainfall threatens the water level of reservoirs, which supply water for hydro power generation. Hydro power accounts for about a quarter of the country’s overall installed capacity of about 150,000 Mw.
The 81 reservoirs across the country are currently 58 per cent full, according to the recent data released by the Central Water Commission (CWC) for the week ended December 18. This is against the 65 per cent capacity utilisation in the same period last year.
The worsening power deficit has come at a time when the government has set a capacity addition target of 78,700 Mw in the current plan period (2007-2012). Out of this, 11,061 Mw is to be added in the current year.
A total of 2,058 Mw, or 18 per cent of the target of 11,061 Mw, however, has been commissioned by the end of November 2008.
