20 per cent shortfall in power capacity addition during 2007-12
05 Nov 2009
New Delhi: Indian power minister, Sushil Kumar Shinde, has admitted that the country was likely to miss the target for adding power generation capacity during the 11th Five Year Plan period (2007-12). The shortfall, he said, was likely to be about 20 per cent.
Shinde was addressing media persons at the annual economic editors conference on Wednesday.
''We have performed much better in terms of new capacity addition in the 11th Plan as generation capacity worth 18,235 MW has already been commissioned till early October 2009. However, due to various project-related delays, the entire planned target for the plan period may not materialise,'' Shinde said.
The 11th Plan has a 78,700 MW capacity addition target and the government estimates that the five-year plan period may come to a close with a capacity addition of 62,374 MW - about 20% below the designated target.
''We are still hopeful that with best efforts another 12,000 MW of capacity could be added by 2012,'' the minister said.
Deputy chairman of planning commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, also felt that capacity addition may fall short of target by around 8,000 MW.
