India To Be Power Surplus In 2018-19 After Two Years Of Deficit, Central Electricity Authority Predicts

The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has projected a 4.6 per cent power surplus in its load generation balance report for the year 2018-19, Financial Express has reported. The authority has projected a rise of 2.5 per cent in the power generation during peak hours. Similar surplus projections, however, have been missed in the past two years.

9.6 gigawatts of power generation capacity is expected to be added to the grid this year with 85 per cent of the new generation capacity coming from thermal power plants. The projections are based on purchasing plans of state power companies. Poor health of state power distribution companies has however has hampered last-mile power supply in the country.

Demand for power from distribution companies in the current fiscal year is expected to be 1.34 trillion kilowatt-hours , a 10.2 per cent rise compared to previous year. Demand for electricity grew by 6.1 percent in the previous fiscal against an expectation of 7.6 per cent.