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Power Generation - An Overview

A thermal powerplant in Kolkata. India's largest

super thermal powerplants have capacities of
over 2,000 MW each.

India is the third largest electricity producing nation in the world. Power generation
has grown over 100 fold since independence to 1 272 TWh during 2014-15.
Widespread power shortages (upto 13 % a decade ago) have become non-existant
on a national scale although shortages will prevail in some regions. Thermal
powerplants generate the bulk of the electricity produced in the country. Nuclear
power capacity, currently at 4 780 MWe, is expected to be augmented in the future.
The power sector has seen vast reforms especially after the passage of the
Electricity Act 2003 including the formation of independent regulators like CERC.

Power Grid Corp. (PGCIL) operates the largest (95,000 circuit kms as on Jun 30 '12)
grid sytems in the world and transmits over half of the total power generated (excl.
captive) in India. India's captive power plants generated 68.2 bn kWh of electricity
during 2003-04. Large captive power users include the aluminium, petrochemical and iron and steel industrial sectors.
17 825 MW of new power capacity was added to the grid in 2013-14. Renewable sources of energy, mainly wind and small
hydro, contributed seven per cent of total electricity generation in 2006. India has set an ambitious target of a total of 175 000
MW of renewable capacity by 2022 to combat global climate warming and its ill effects. A total of 7 100 MW renewable energy
generating capacity was added during 2015-16. Renewable energy generating capacity reach 42 849 MW in April '16.
Over 98 per cent of the nearly 600,000 villages spread across India have been electified at the end of Ap '16. The present
government has planned for 100 % village electrification by 2018.
Power Generation (2013-14)
Type
Thermal
Hydel

Nuclear
Renewables
Captive (>1 MW)

Capcity MW
(May 2016)

Generation Billion kWh

211 670

792.5

5 780

34.3

42 783

42 849
(Mar/16)

134.9
2.8
68.2

Captive (2003-04) includes 39.6 bn KWh Steam, 13.4 bn KWh Diesel, 14.9 bn
KWh Gas Turbine, 0.2 bn KWh Wind and 0.1 bn KWh Hydro generated power.
Wind power based on figures for the year 2003-04.

Power Related Links

Ministry of Power
Central Electricity Regulatory Commission
Central Electricity Authority
Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd.
Rural Electrification Corp. Ltd.
Reliance Energy
Damodar Valley Corporation
Power Grid Corp. of India Ltd.
Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co. Ltd.
The Tata Power Co. Ltd.
CLP Power India Pvt. Ltd.
Power Finance Corporation Ltd.

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Independent Power Projects

Private power projects commissioned and under construction >>
Thermal Power
India had a thermal generating capacity of ca 100,000 MW at the end of 2009.
National Thermal Power Corp (NTPC)
Neyveli Lignite Corp. Ltd.
Ultra Mega Power Plants

Plant

State

Planned Ultra Mega Power Plants (UMPP)

Sundargarh

Orissa

Sasan

Madhya Pradesh

Surguja
Mundra

Chhattisgarh
Gujarat

Krishnapatnam Andhra Pradesh

Tilaiya

Jharkhand

Capacity (MWe) Status

4,000

Response to RfQ ext to Jan 31 '11

4,000

Partially commissioned

4,000

Response to RfQ ext to Jan 7 '11

4,000

Fully commissioned

4,000 Project awarded to Reliance Energy

4,000 Project awarded to Reliance Energy

Hydro Power
India had total hydro generating capacity of 39,291 MW as on Aug 30 2012.
Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd.
National Hydroelectric Power Corp. (NHPC)
Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Ltd.
North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Ltd.
Nuclear Power
An Overview
Nuclear power generates less than 3 per cent of India's total electricity consumption. NPCIL, a public sector unit, operates 20
reactors at six nuclear plant sites across India. The total nuclear power capacity amounts to 5780 MWe and 32.5 billion kWh
were generated in 2011-12. Seven reactors with a capacity to generate 5300 MWe are under various stages of construction.
BHAVINI is constructing a 500 MWe Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam. Fast breeder technology uses spent fuel of
plutonium and uranium from the Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR, elsewhere known as CANDU) of the the other
NPCIL plants. Uranium is mined by the Uranium Corp. of India Ltd. in Jaduguda, Jharkhand. The Nuclear Fuel
Complex at Hyderabad fabricates the required nuclear fuel assemblies for the eventual generation of electricity. Thorium,
due to large reserves in India, is also used used as nuclear fuel. New nuclear power plant clusters are plannedin collaboration
with potential nuclear vendors such as Areva NP, GE-Hitachi, Westinghouse Electric and Atomstroyexport.
Nuclear Map of India >>
Nuclear Related Links
Nuclear Power Corp. of India
Department of Atomic Energy
BHAVINI (Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd.)
Atomic Energy Regulatory Board
Bhabha Atomic Research Center - Trombay (Mumbai)
Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research - Kalpakkam
Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre - Kolkata
Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI) - Kalpakkam

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Nuclear Power Plants

Plant

State

Tarapur

Maharashtra

Kalpakkam

Tamil Nadu

Kakrapur

Gujarat

Capacity (MWe) Reactors

Rawatbhata (Kota) Rajasthan

Narora
Kaiga

Kudamkulam

390

1,180

Uttar Pradesh

440

Karnataka

880

Tamil Nadu

440

Nuclear Power Plants Under Construction

Rawatbhata (Kota) Rajasthan
Kakrapur

Gujarat

Kudamkulam

Tamil Nadu

Kalpakkam

1,400

Tamil Nadu

Megawatts of electrical output

1000

2
1

1400

500

1400

1000

Wind Power

A small windfarm with four installed turbines with

a capacity of about one MW at Frasergunj, along
the West Bengal coast.

The NRSE (New and Renewable Sources of Energy) sector is set to provide 10 per
cent of the installed capacity by 2012 although harnessing NRSE to its full potential
would mean a capacity addition in the range of 100,000 MW. India has the fifth
largest wind power generating capacity (~7 % global market share) in the world with
an installed capacity of 26 866 MW at the end of March 2016, behind only China,
USA, Germany and Spain. Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and
Rajasthan have the largest installed capacities of wind power facilities in India. Wind
power potential is largest in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka,
Rajasthan, as each has a potential to generate wind power in excess of 5,000 MW.

NRSE - Manufacturers and Related Links

Centre for Wind Energy Technology
Global Wind Energy Council
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited
Indian Wind Energy Association
WinWinD India
Enercon India
Suzlon Energy Ltd.
Vestas RRB India Ltd.
India Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association
West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency (WBREDA)
Other Renewable Sources Of Energy (RES)
Other renewable sources of energy include small hydro projects (incl. tidal), solar, biomass gas, Biomass power and urban
industrial waster power. The total generating capacity (incl. wind power and off-grid/captive power) amounted to 43 GW at the
end of March 2016 accounting for 14 % of total capacity. Although wind energy holds a lion's share in the production of
electricity among renewable sources of energy, bio-based power (agro residues & plantations), bagasse (sugar cane fibre
residue) cogeneration and small hydro power plants (upto 25 MW) feed substantial amounts of electricity into the power grid.
Solar energy based projects are being taken up at a rapidly increasing pace with a total generating capacity of over 5200 MW
at the end of Nov 2015. The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission envisages 20 000 MW of solar power capacity in
the national grid by 2020.
Tata BP Solar India Ltd.

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