India recorded an unprecedented 46.5 per cent growth in new power capacity in the first quarter:

According to the latest
data from Ministry of Power ”Total Generation during the period April 2013 has
been 77.58 Billion Units which was 103.08% of the actual generation during the
same period last year. The generation during April 2012 as compared to the
corresponding period of the previous year was 105.37%.

So far as actual
generation is concerned, Hydro generation has been 95.76% and Nuclear
generation has been 84.80% however, Thermal generation has been 102.24%.

The possible total
generation during April 2012-March 2013 would have been 84.80 BUs (loss of
generation, considering 90% PLF is 7.22 BUs) which would have resulted in
achievement of 110.26% instead of 100.87% over programme.”

However other sources
have reported, India recorded an unprecedented 46.5 per cent growth in new
power capacity in the first quarter ended March this year. This comes at a time
when power development activity in the Asian region tumbled 12 per cent between
January and March 2013 against the year-ago period.

Power development activity in Asia in the first quarter totalled 62,743
megawatts (Mw). “This was 12 per cent lower than in the same period of
2012, but was well up on the prior quarter – in fact, more than a fifth higher
than in the last three months of 2012,”.

The announcement of
21,000 Mw projects in Asia during first quarter, almost double that of the
fourth quarter of 2012, appeared to indicate an improvement in developer
confidence. In line with the overall boost to investor confidence, India added
a record 10,768 Mw of fresh power capacity between January and March this year
against 7,349 Mw during the same period in 2012, according to the latest data
from the Central Electricity Authority, the planning wing of the power ministry.

Govt intervention
With the government's intervention,
Coal India Ltd has agreed to supply committed quantities of the fuel for new
power stations.

Also, with the formation of the Cabinet Committee on Investment, fresh
clearances have come through for mega infrastructure projects across power,
coal and petroleum sectors.