NEW DELHI, Oct 4: As much as 23 per cent of India’s generation capacity is currently not being utilised as plants are shut down, either due to technical problems or for maintenance reason, frustrating government’s efforts to overcome electricity shortage in the country.
On September 29, the day for which the latest Central Electricity Authority (CEA) generation report is available, 56,152 mw out of the 2.42 lakh mw being monitored by the agency was under shutdown. On that day, the country faced energy and peak electricity shortages of 2.6 per cent and 2.3 per cent respectively.
According to analysts, electricity shortages would have been higher if financially stressed power distribution companies were not resorting to undeclared loadshedding to avoid buying electricity from the market and the economy not in the grip of slowdown.
Besides, a quarter of India’s populations, especially those in rural areas still do not have access to electricity. Significantly, India is facing power shortage despite adding record capacities in recent years. India added nearly 55,000 mw generation capacity in the 11th Plan ( April 2007-March 2012), a record for the country. In the current Plan, 65,665 mw capacity had been added till August against the envisaged target of 88,537 mw. (UNI)
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