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The ministry of power has set the conventional electricity generation target for financial year 2017-18 at 1,229.4 billion units (BU), up 50 BU from the target for the current year. Power stations owned by central PSUs are expected to produce 440.7 BU in the next year, while private and state-owned plants have been assigned targets of 381.4 BU and 407.3 BU, respectively.

Of the 2016-17 target, 98% was achieved by January. As per fuel categories, 1,042 BU is allotted to thermal power plants, 40.9 BU from nuclear plants and 141.4 BU from hydro power projects. Generation targets for all fuel segments are set to increase from the current year. Until January, more than 98% of the generation target of 1,178 BU had been met. The all-India per capita consumption of electricity is estimated to be more than 1,100 units. In the current financial year, the total requirement of electricity until January was 956.8 BU. Out of this, 950.3 BU was available, reflecting a deficit of 0.7%. The energy requirement, estimated by the central electricity authority, is 1,611 BU the end of 2021-22.

Renewable energy, with an installed capacity of 50 GW, had produced 70.5 BU in the April-January period. In other words, though renewables comprise 16% of the overall installed power generation capacity, the electricity it generates is just over 7% of the requirement.

However, as a ray of hope for green energy, the annual growth in renewable electricity generation (27%) had been higher than that of conventional electricity (18%).

In the April-January duration, 8.5 GW of conventional generation capacity has been added. Under the ongoing 12th Five Year Plan, the capacity addition target was set at 88.5 GW. The country has already added 93.5 GW in the period, surpassing the target. The total installed conventional capacity currently stands at 264.6 GW.