India: Conventional Power Generation Up 15% M-o-M in Mar’18

According to the tentative report provided by the Power Ministry, India’s power generation from the conventional sources had increased 15% on the month to 105.47 BU in Mar’18, against 91.61 BU in Feb’18.

Power generation from Conventional sources include thermal power generation (from Coal, diesel and gas plants), Hydro power, Nuclear power and electricity imported from Bhutan.

The power demand was set to rise with the commencement of the summer season in the country. Accordingly, power generation had rose to 10-month high in Mar’18, which had also increased 3% Y-o-Y compared with 102.09 BU in Mar’17.

In order to meet the growing power demand, thermal power plants had achieved their highest generation for the FY18, with total output of 95.31 BU in Mar’18, up 15% M-o-M from 82.58 BU in Feb’18.

Hydro power generation had provided timely support to the thermal power plants, as the power output from the Hydro plants had increased 23% M-o-M to 7.01 BU in Mar’18 compared with 5.70 BU in Feb’18.

Hydro power generation was in a downtrend since Sep’17; had it been low in Mar’18 as well, the burden of the extra power generation would have come on to the shoulders of thermal plants, thereby necessitating higher coal burning.

The drop in hydro power generation was also one of the reasons that had triggered shortage of coal in domestic market. As per the data provided by power ministry, Hydro power generation was 126.133 BU in FY18 (Apr’17-Mar’18), 11% lower than its scheduled target of 141.4 BU.

Nuclear power generation was marked 6% lower on the month at 3.06 BU in Mar’18, while electricity import from Bhutan stood 0.077 BU during the month.

*excludes generation from Hydro stations upto 25 MW
Source: Power Ministry
Quantity in BU

Indian conventional power generation totaled 1205.92 BU in FY18, with thermal power generation accounting to 1036.68 BU during the year.