Thermal plants to generate 76% of country's power requirement in 2023-24: Govt.

Thermal power plants will generate 75.66 per cent of the country's electricity requirement of 1,750 billion units in the current fiscal, the government said on Thursday.

"The electricity generation programme has been fixed at 1,750 BU (billion units)for 2023-2024. A total of 75.66 per cent of electricity would be generated from thermal power plants with an average Plant Load Factor (PLF, or capacity utilisation) of 66.90 per cent," Union Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

He said there is adequate capacity available in the country to meet the rising power demand, with projected energy surplus of 56,796 million units (3.6 per cent) and peak surplus of 1,717 MW (0.7 per cent) in 2023-24.

As on June 30, 18 coal-based thermal power projects having a total capacity of 25,440 MW and a gas-based thermal power project with a capacity of 370 MW were under construction.

Besides, 42 hydro electric projects (above 25 MW each) having a total capacity of 18,033.5 MW are under construction, he said.

The minister also said that projects to bolster nuclear capacity by 8,000 MW were under various stages of construction.

During the April-June period, 4,07,762 million units of electricity were supplied against the demand of 4,08,621 million units, leaving a deficit of 858 million units or 0.2 per cent, the minister told the House in a separate written reply.

There is adequate availability of electricity in the country, Singh said.

He also said there is a negligible gap between energy requirement and energy supplied on account of factors attributable to discoms such as constraints in distribution network, financial constraints and commercial reasons.