India's 2023 electricity generation statistics and the current state of India's power industry

Recently, India’s Ministry of Power released electricity statistics as of December 31, 2023. Installed Generation Capacity Category Installed Capacity (10,000 kW) Share Increase from Previous Month State-owned enterprises 10,227.50 23.9% -0.10% State-level enterprises 10,633.30 24.8% 0.00% Private enterprises 21,969.10 51.3% +0.10% Total 42,829.90 100% Notes: 1) Indian power generation enterprises are categorized by ownership: state-owned, state-level (i.e., owned by individual state governments), and private. India’s largest power generator, NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation), is a state-owned enterprise. Maharashtra State Power Generation Company (MPGC) is a state-level enterprise under the Government of Maharashtra. Among private enterprises, the top three by installed capacity are Adani Power, Tata Power, and Reliance Power. 2) Following power sector reforms in India, private enterprises’ share of total installed capacity has exceeded 50%, reaching 51.3%. Installed Capacity by Generation Type Type Installed Capacity (10,000 kW) Share Increase from Previous Month Bituminous coal 20,777.6 48.60% +0.46% Lignite 662 1.60% — Natural gas 2,503.8 5.90% — Diesel 58.9 0.10% — Hydropower 4,691 11.00% +0.06% Wind 4,473.6 10.40% +0.39% Solar PV 7,331.8 16.90% +1.39% Cogeneration 1,026.2 2.40% — Waste-to-energy 58.3 0.10% +1.39% Small hydropower 498.7 1.20% — Nuclear 748 1.80% Notes: 1) India’s Ministry of Power separately reports bituminous coal (“coal”) and lignite. Combined, coal-based generation accounts for 50.2% of total installed capacity—significantly lower than China’s 68% in 2022. 2) India’s climate commitment on coal power is phrased as keeping coal’s share *below 50%*, not reducing absolute coal capacity. By this semantic distinction, the government claims it has already fulfilled its pledge. Annual Electricity Generation Statistics Fiscal Year Generation (100 million kWh) Growth Rate (%) Remarks 2009–10 8,084.98 7.56 2010–11 8,503.87 5.59 2011–12 9,281.13 9.14 2012–13 9,695.06 4.46 2013–14 10,202 5.23 2014–15 11,103.9 8.84 2015–16 11,736 5.69 2016–17 12,416.9 5.8 2017–18 13,081.5 5.35 2018–19 13,761 5.19 2019–20 13,891 0.95 Impact of pandemic 2020–21 13,818.55 -0.52 Impact of pandemic 2021–22 14,918.6 7.96 2022–23 16,244.7 8.89 2023–24* 13,081 6.90 As of December 31, 2023

The Indian government has directed power companies to order $33 billion worth of equipment to enhance coal-fired power generation capacity

It is reported that the Indian government has directed power companies to order equipment valued at USD 33 billion this year to accelerate expansion of coal-fired power generation capacity over the coming years, meeting rapidly growing electricity demand. This directive has spurred record equipment tenders over the past year by major power utilities—including state-owned NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation) and SJVN—as well as private firms Adani Power and Essar Power. Over the next five to six years, these orders are expected to add 31,000 MW of new generation capacity. In early June, India’s Minister of Power, Manohar Lal, convened a meeting to discuss expediting procurement of equipment for newly planned coal-fired power plants. A few years ago, India’s annual equipment ordering volume stood at roughly 2,000–3,000 MW; last year, it surged to 10,000 MW. India is urgently expanding coal-fired generation capacity because existing coal-based capacity is nearly insufficient to meet peak electricity demand during nighttime hours—when solar output drops sharply.

India's Largest Power Producer Plans Increased Private Coal Purchases

1 day ago

India's top power utility NTPC intends to purchase up to 15 million tons of private coal to mitigate severe fuel shortages caused by dropping reserves and surging electricity demand.

reuters

2026-10-06

India's Largest Power Producer Plans Increased Private Coal Purchases

India's Largest Power Producer Plans Increased Private Coal Purchases

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