Hydro power generation in India will reportedly increase by 3.5 per cent in the current financial year even as dry winter has impacted generation in the last quarter.
According to ET scanty rains has decreased the overall hydro power generation by 15 per cent in February as projects are affected in North, West and Eastern region by falling water levels in rivers.
Lack of snowfall in North this year has already shrunk generation at country’s largest hydro power company, National Hydro Power Corporation by half in the month of February and also affected projects in of other power companies in North, West and Eastern.(Read Interview with DR. Srinivas Bhaskar Chaganti, Founder and MD, Cow and Calf Dairy Farms Limited)
A senior official at National Hydro Power Corporation speaking to the publication said “despite less precipitation in winters, the power generation is expected to show marginal growth over the last year due to efficient utilization of capacities.” He added that the generation will be boosted after commissioning of 330 MW Kishanganga hydro project in the current quarter. The NHPC generation had grown by 3 per cent till month of January in the current financial year compared to same duration in the last year.
Despite dry winter spell hydro power generation has recorded a revival in generation this year after two-years of lean generation primarily due to less rain in monsoon. This financial year the overall hydro generation stood at 119 billion units till February compared to 114 billion units in same duration last year, an increase of 104 per cent. The hydro power generation posted a marginal growth of under a percent in FY 17 after two-years of consecutive dip of 6 % in FY 16 and 4 % in FY 15 compared to respective corresponding period.
This year the uptrend in generation is buttressed by improved performance by major power sector PSU’s including SJVNL, NEEPCO and BBMB. SJVNL recorded 2.5 per cent increase in generation in the current financial year compared to the last year. NEEPCO notched 15 per cent increase in the generation during the period. BBMB projects also recorded 1.5 per cent increase in generation. “Less snowfall in North may not allow record high power generation in the current year in the country,” an official at SJVNL said.
State owned power utilities, this year, has provided a significant thrust to hydro power generation mainly by utilities in Punjab, J&K, Odissa, Telengana, Kerala, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Sikkim.
With an increase of 12 per cent over the last year, the state owned power generation utilities propelled the generation to record high this year.
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