India achieved its highest addition in power generation capacity in the past one year, leading to the country's power deficit falling to a record low of 3.6 percent, Power and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday.
"Power deficit was brought down to 3.6 percent in India which is the lowest in its history. This has come on the basis of an increase in coal production," Goyal told reporters here, highlighting the achievements of Narendra Modi government in its first year in office
"In line with the PM's promise of corruption free-governance, there has been a de-bureaucratisation of my ministries," the minister, who also holds the new and renewable energy portfolio, added.
He explained that the deficit reduction had come on the back of a record addition of 22,566 mega-watt (MW) of generation capacity in the last one year.
"Also all this power also requires to be transmitted and transmission lines do not come up overnight, they take time," Goyal said.
He said there had been highest ever increase in transmission line capacity of 22,100 circuit kilometres and the highest ever increase in sub-station capacity of 66,554 MW last year.
The minister said state miner Coal India also produced a record 32 million tons of the fuel and is looking at producing 100 million tons by 2020.
The government's plans include raising renewable energy capacity by more than five times to 175,000 MW by 2022 and five ultra-mega power plants totalling 20,000 MW, he added.
