Breaking away from the tradition of fixing five-year goals, the Power Ministry may now set a generation target for the next two decades.
According to sources, the government may soon finalise power generation targets for the next 20 years or till 2035.
The Ministry of Power, which has already identified generation projects for the 13th Plan period (2017-22), is working on a proposal for longer duration.
Power Minister Piyush Goyal has time and again said the government is more keen on setting long-term goals rather than short-term ones.
In order to identify the projects to be commissioned during the next 5-7 years, the ministry has started the process.
The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) is primarily engaged in this process. For identification of the transmission projects to start flowing power once the generation plant is ready, the government has already deputed officers from state-run Power Grid Corporation to CEA so as to provide assistance.
The report on the 20-year perspective plan will be finalised by CEA by the end of this month after consulting the state transmission utilities, sources said.
The previous UPA-regime had set up a target of adding 88,000 MW of generation capacity by the end of the current Five Year Plan period (2012-17).
India's current installed capacity presently stands at 2,55,013 MW, as per another data by CEA.
The country missed its 11th Five Year Plan period target (2007-12). By March 2012, it was able to add only about 50,000 MW against the revised target of 62,374 MW. The original target was 78,577 MW.
