Coal-based power generation rises 15 pc in Dec: Official data

NEW DELHI: Country's coal-fired power generation increased by 15.03 per cent to 98,443 million units (MU) in December, as per official data.

Coal-based power generation -- which accounts for 76.59 per cent of the total power generation in the country -- stood at 85,579 MU in the corresponding month of the previous fiscal.

According to the monthly statistics (provisional) of December, 2022 of the coal ministry, both coal-based power generation and overall power generation has registered a year-on-year increase in December 2022.

''Coal-based power generation has registered a growth of 15.03 per cent in December'22 as compared to December'21 and overall power generation in December'22 has been 13.65 per cent higher than the power generated in December'21,'' it said.

Similarly, total power generation advanced in December, last year to 1,28,536 MU from 1,18,029 MU in November, 2022 and registered a growth of 8.90 per cent.

However, lignite-based power generation in the month of December dropped marginally to 2,227 million units, against 2,272 MT in the corresponding month of previous fiscal.

The electricity generation through hydroelectric power last month increased by 5.94 per cent to 9,132 MU, over 8,620 MU in the year-ago period.

NTPC, which supplies one-fourth of the electricity in the country, had earlier said that coal-based electricity generation is the backbone of power supply in the country and it is going to stay this way for the next two-three decades.

The company had said that instead of talking about phasing out coal-based thermal power plants, India needs to focus on dispatchable renewable energy.

The PSU favoured having new efficient and environment-friendly coal-based thermal power plants rather than running old and inefficient ones.