New Delhi: While the Union Government is constructing both thermal and hydropower projects to meet the growing power demand in the country, however Odisha does not figure in the list of upcoming hydropower projects in the country.
This was revealed in the reply tabled by Union Power and New Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh in the Lok Sabha. According to the Minister, 20 thermal power projects with a capacity of 27,180 MW are being set up across the country. While there a private project, NTPC project at Talcher in Odisha is on the state-run list. NTPC’s two under-construction units will generate a total of 1,320 MW of electricity from 660 MW.
However, 33 projects are being implemented in the country in the hydropower sector. This includes 17 central projects, 13 state projects and three private projects. The generation capacity of all these projects is 16,766 MW. This includes 12,000 MW from central projects and 3,000 MW from state projects.
However, Odisha does not figure in the list of upcoming hydropower projects. The neighbouring Andhra Pradesh government is constructing 960 MW project on the Polavaram dam on the Godavari river, while NTPC is building a 120 MW project at Darjeeling in West Bengal.
According to the Union Minister, 16,24,465 million units of electricity was generated across the country in the year 2022-23, while 10,47,439 million units were generated till the end of October this financial year. Of this, 4644 million units of electricity have been imported from Bhutan this year.
Odisha produced 71,529 million units of electricity in the last financial year as against 41,951 million units at the end of October this year. This includes thermal, hydropower and renewable energy.
The Union Minister pointed out that the demand for electricity has increased by 12.7 per cent during peak hours this year as compared to the previous financial year, while it has seen an increase of 8.6 per cent in normal times. Similarly, the demand for electricity in the industrial sector is increasing by 7.18 per cent.
In order to meet this demand of electricity in the country and keeping in view the future demand, the Central Government is focusing on both thermal and hydropower projects as well as other renewable energy projects such as solar energy, project power projects.
Similarly, the five nuclear power projects being built in the country are in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Haryana. It has two projects in Tamil Nadu while all the nuclear projects have a power generation capacity of 8000 MW.