Electricity demand-supply position in India 2021-22
Electricity is one of the essential components of modern society, and its availability plays a significant role in the economic development of any country. India, being the world’s seventh-largest country and the second-most populous country, has a huge demand for electricity. In recent years, India has been rapidly expanding its power generation capacity to meet the rising demand for electricity. In this article, we will discuss the electricity demand-supply position in India using data from the Ministry of Power (MoP) annual report.
Electricity generation in India
According to the MoP annual report, the total electricity generation in India, including from renewable sources, during the current year 2021-22 (Up to January 2022), is about 1234.298 billion units (BU) as against 1137.851 BU during the same period last year, showing a growth of 8.5%. The electricity generation from fossil fuel sources in the country during 2021-22 (Up to January 2022) is 913.193 BU as against the generation of 834.109 BU during the corresponding period the previous year, showing a growth of 9.5%. Coal-based power generation during 2021-22 (Up to January 2022) is 850.845 BU, showing growth of 11.2% over the previous year same period.
On the other hand, electricity generation from renewable sources (non-hydro) during 2021-22 (Up to January 2022) is 141.280 BU as against the generation of 123.428 BU during the corresponding period previous year, showing growth of 14.5%. Wind-based generation is 61.400 BU, showing growth of 14.2%, and solar-based generation is 57.394 BU, showing growth of 19.0%.
Share of renewable energy generation in total generation
The share of renewable energy generation (including hydro) in total generation has been increased to around 22.9% during 2021-22 (Up to January 2022), and the share of non-fossil generation in total generation has been around 26.0%. These figures indicate that India is slowly but steadily moving towards a more sustainable energy future.
Overall electricity generation in India
The total electricity generation in the country increased from 624.2 billion units (BU) during 2005-06 to 1234.3 BU during the year 2021-22 (Up to January 2022). The following table summarizes the total electricity generation in India from fossil and non-fossil fuel sources over the past years:
| Year | Generation from Fossil Fuel (BU) | Generation from Non-Fossil Fuel (BU) | Total Generation (BU) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-06 | 497.2 | 126.9 | 624.2 |
| 2006-07 | 527.5 | 144.8 | 672.4 |
| 2007-08 | 559.0 | 170.7 | 729.7 |
| 2008-09 | 590.1 | 161.6 | 751.7 |
| 2009-10 | 640.9 | 167.6 | 808.5 |
| 2010-11 | 665.0 | 185.4 | 850.4 |
| 2011-12 | 708.8 | 219.3 | 928.1 |
| 2012-13 | 760.7 | 208.8 | 969.5 |
| 2013-14 | 792.5 | 227.7 | 1020.2 |
| 2014-15 | 878.3 | 232.1 | 1110.4 |
| 2015-16 | 943.8 | 229.8 | 1173.6 |
| 2016-17 | 994.2 | 247.5 | 1241.7 |
| 2017-18 | 1037.1 | 271.1 | 1308.1 |
| 2018-19 | 1072.2 | 303.9 | 1376.1 |
| 2019-20 | 1042.7 | 346.4 | 1389.1 |
| 2020-21 | 1032.5 | 349.3 | 1381.9 |
| 2021-22 (Upto Jan.) | 913.2 | 321.1 | 1234.3 |