India’s power generation in September rose by 8.75% on year, data from the National Power Portal showed. However, on a month-on-month basis, it fell 5%. In the first half of the current financial year, power generation rose 4.7% on year, the data showed.
Of the total electricity generated last month, share of thermal power remained the highest at 108,697.62 GWH followed by hydro power at 16,359.80 GWH, and nuclear power that helped in generation of 4,504.79 GWH electricity.
Thermal power generation was down by 1.2% on month whereas nuclear power generation rose by 3% from August. Hydro power output fell significantly by 25% on month.
Hydro power plants depend on rainfall during the monsoon season that replenishes rivers and reservoirs. Data from the India Meteorological Department showed that rainfall in the Jun-Sep southwest monsoon this year was 6% below the normal of 868.6 mm for the period at just 820 mm.
Water level in key reservoirs across the country as on September 29 was at 129.669 bcm, 18% lower than the live storage capacity of corresponding period of last year, as per the latest data from the Central Water Commission.
Region-wise, the western part of the country generated the highest power at 46,725.84 GWH during last month followed by the northern region at 34,522.18 GWH. North-eastern constituted the lowest power generation at 2,107.9 GWH, data showed.
However, power generation across all regions, except the northeast India, rose in September compared with their levels in the corresponding period last year. CRISIL Ratings in a recent report said that it expects power demand to increase by 9-10% on year in the second quarter of the current fiscal year and a 5% rise on-year during the entire year.
“Apart from agriculture, industrial and manufacturing activities also contributed to the sharp rise in power demand, which can be gauged by the Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index rising to a three-month high of 58.6 in August. And with the onset of the festive season, this trend is likely to have continued well into September,” the report had said.