7/29/2019 Intresting Facts About Electricity in India

1/2

As India coped with a massive power breakdown for two successive

days, some interesting facts about the country's power situation to chew

on:

India has an installed capacity of more than 170,000 megawatts, up from a mere 1,362

megawatts at the time of Independence in 1947

The majority (around 60%) is generated from coal and lignite, while just under a quarter

(about 22%) is hydro-electric

Despite its soaring energy needs, India has one of the lowest per capita rates of

consumption of power in the world - 734 units as compared to a world average of 2,429

units. This is nothing compared with say, Canada, (18,347 units) and the US (13,647

units). China's per capita consumption (2,456 units) is more than three times that of

India.

The low per capita consumption is despite the fact that the power sector has been

growing at more than 7% every year.

Homes and farms are consuming more power today than industries and businesses.

Industrial consumption has actually dropped from 61.6% in 1970-71 to 38% in 2008-

2009.

India has suffered consistent power shortages since Independence in 1947. Peak

demand shortage is more than 10%, whereas the overall energy shortage is more than

7%.

Sixty-five years after Independence, only nine states - Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat,

Karnataka, Goa, Delhi, Haryana, Kerala, Punjab and Tamil Nadu - of 28 have been

officially declared totally electrified. India remains perennially energy starved despite 15% or more of federal funds being

allocated to the power sector. Bankrupt state-run electricity boards, an acute shortage

of coal, skewed subsidies which end up benefiting rich farmers, power theft, and under-

performing private distribution agencies are to blame, say experts. There is no shortage

of money, and the problem, as the Planning Commission admits, is more "in the delivery

process [than] in the system".

Transmission and distribution losses have leapt from 22% in 1995-96 to about 25.6% in

2009-2010. The states with the worst losses are Indian-administered Kashmir, Bihar,

7/29/2019 Intresting Facts About Electricity in India

2/2

Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh. The best performers: Punjab, Himachal

Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

India's first power generation company was the private Calcutta Electric SupplyCorporation (CESC) started in 1899. The first diesel power plant was set up in Delhi in

1905. The first hydro-electric power station was set up in Mysore in 1902. At the time of

Independence, about 60% of India's power sector was privately owned. Today, about

80% of the installed capacity is in the hands of the government. Private companies own

12% of the capacity.