September saw power capacity addition dip to only 250 mw-all thermal, from 750 mw in July and 1,050 mw in August. In fact, meeting only a half of the targeted addition, this was the lowest monthly addition during the current fiscal. Because of the sub-optimal performance, capacity addition in the second quarter declined to 2,075 mw, from 2,358 mw in the first quarter. Nevertheless, the total capacity augmentation in H1 amounted to 4,433 mw, which though was a little more than two-thirds the fructification planned for the period, was more than twice the addition in the corresponding first half of 2008-09. Actually, 2008-09, which had seen only 3,454 mw of commissioned capacity had terribly underperformed, vis-à-vis targets.
Cumulatively, the first two and half years of the ongoing 11th five year plan saw capacity addition of 17,150 mw, which was a little more than a half of the capacity targeted to be added over the period. While underachievement was the largest in thermal power, followed by hydro power, nuclear power drew blank till September, barring 220 mw commissioned in April 2007. By the way, renewal energy sources are assessed to have added around 5,549 mw of capacity over the period, which took the total installed generating capacity to 152,360 mw at the end of September 2009.
The H1 of current fiscal has rendered itself creditably so far as power generation is concerned, with higher generation and plant load factor, and lower average/peak level deficits. Total power generated during the first half of the current fiscal was 383.368 billion units (including import from Bhutan), which was 6.8 per cent more than that in the similar period of 2008-09. The plant load factor (PLF) worked out to 77 per cent, against 74 per cent a year ago. The average power deficit was placed at 9.9 per cent (10.3 per cent) and peak demand/supply deficit at 11.3 per cent (15.4 per cent). Northern region faced 13 per cent average deficit and the Western region 11.6 per cent, while their peak level deficits were estimated at 14.2 per cent and 16.9 per cent respectively. Southern region faced 5.3 per cent average deficit and a lower 3.3 per cent peak level deficit. Among the major states, Uttar Pradesh faced 22.4 per cent, Madhya Pradesh 19 per cent, Maharashtra 17.6 per cent, Andhra Pradesh 7.2 per cent, Karnataka 6.8 per cent, and Tamil Nadu 5.4 per cent. Gujarat faced 1.6 per cent average deficit.