NEW DELHI: India’s power deficit this year ‘spiked marginally’ to 1.2% due to the annual post-monsoon pressure on output, the ministry of power said in a statement on Monday, adding that this deficit has nearly been wiped out over the last three years.
“India had a massive power deficit of -16.6% in 2007-08. Even in 2011-12, it was -10.6%. Through the multi-pronged, comprehensive and aggressive interventions of the government, this deficit is near about wiped out, consistently over the last three years: -.4% in 2020-21, -.7% in 2019-20 and -.8% in 2018-19,” the Ministry said in a statement on Monday.
The ministry clarification came after it was reported that power supply shortage in October 2021 was the highest in 5.5 years.
The shortage was attributed to limited coal stocks available with thermal plants.
“The current year, up till October, it (the power deficit) has been -1.2%; the marginal spike being attributable to the annual post-monsoon pressure on power output. This is also likely to normalise by the end of the year,” the statement read.
It added the transformation from an acutely power deficit country, to a situation of demand being met, except for an extremely marginal shortfall of less than 1% has been made possible by schemes introduced by the current government to address the unhappy situation.
The ministry concluded that the augmentation to the installed power capacity in the country, consequent to these efforts, has been 1,55,377 megawatt in the last approximately seven years.