The Planning Commission has targeted additional power generation capacity of 20,359 mega Watts (MW) during the current financial year (1 April 2010- 31 March 2011), in order to augment the country's infrastructure, its deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said.

He said the capacity addition target of 20,359 MW of power generation may seem ambitious considering the power ministry's failure to meet even last year's scaled-down target.

The country added power generation capacity of 9,585 MW last financial year (2008-09) against a planned target of 14,507 MW during the year.

Of the targeted capacity addition of 20,359 MW during the current financial year (1 April 2010-31 March 2011), the centre plans to add 7639 MW of generating capacity during the whole fiscal.

Of this, 2,115 MW will be added in the second quarter, 2,070 MW in the third quarter and 3,454 MW in the fourth quarter.

States are expected to add a total of 6,609.5 MW of power generating capacity during the financial year, of which 1,627 MW will be added in the first quarter, 1,437.5 MW capacity in the second quarter, 1,850 MW in the third quarter and 1,695 MW capacity in the fourth quarter.

Private sector is expected to add 6,110.5 MW of power during the full financial year, with 2,499.5 MW coming in the first quarter, 1,279 MW capacity in the second quarter, 789.5 MW capacity in the third quarter and 1,542.5 MW capacity in the fourth quarter.

The total power generation capacity addition target for the financial year adds up to 20,359 MW, of which 4,126.5 MW will be added in the first quarter, 4,831.5 MW in the second quarter, 4,709.5 MW capacity in the third quarter and 6,691.5 MW generating capacity I the fourth quarter.

Similarly, the Planning Commission has fixed the target for rural electrification at 17500 villages, with 4,000 covered in the first quarter, 3500 in the second quarter, 4,500 in the third quarter and 5,500 villages in the fourth quarter.

It may be noted that the government last year exceeded village electrification by supplying electricity to 18374 villages against the targeted 17,500 villages.