States lag in hydel power generating efficiency

State electricity boards (SEBs), which own 86 per cent of country's installed hydel power generation capacity, accounted for just 72 per cent of the total hydel power generated last year.

The Centre, on the other hand, showed better operational efficiency.

Central utilities (mainly those of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation), which account for only 11 per cent of the installed hydel capacity, produced nearly 26 per cent of the overall hydel power last year.

The private sector, which owns 3 per cent of the total installed hydel capacity, accounted for the rest.

SEBs, however, showed better operational efficiency in thermal power generation. They generated 51 per cent of the total thermal power produced in the country in 2002. States control more than half the total installed thermal capacity in the country.

"Although the Central public sector undertakings are expanding quickly, the state utilities are likely to remain the largest owners of India's generation assets over the medium term. Their financial and operational soundness will be crucial to the sector's overall health," a Fitch Ratings report on the country's power sector said.

The Centre is responsible for setting up around 35 per cent of the total thermal capacity, largely through the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC).

NTPC generated 26.1 per cent of the total thermal power produced last year, with just 19.2 per cent of the country's generating capacity.

The private sector has set up 12 per cent of the total thermal generation capacity of the country.

In terms of development of non-conventional sources of power generation, the private sector has the largest presence in wind generation, owning around 96 per cent of the total installed capacity.

Wind generation facilities set up by the states account for the rest.

Quantitatively, however, overall capacity addition through wind generation is quite insignificant.

The entire nuclear power generation capacity in the country has been set up by the Nuclear Power Corporation. India has an installed generation capacity of 1,05,000 mega watts (MW).

Thermal units account for the largest share of capacity across all three sector "" Central, state and private sector. Coal serves as the primary thermal fuel for all sectors, accounting for about half of the private sector's installed thermal capacity.

For Central and state thermal power stations, coal accounts for 80 per cent and 90 per cent, respectively.