India will not have a power deficit this year, a first time in history. The situation officials say is an outcome of the current government’s initiatives to resolve burning issues like fuel scarcity. The country will have a surplus of 3.1% during peak hours and 1.1% during non-peak hours during 2016-17, latest data from the Central Electricity Authority shows.
This is the first time that the country has declared a year of no shortage though many regions have had power surplus for shorter periods. In 2015-16, the peak hour deficit stood at -3.2% while non-peak hour deficit was at -2.1%. The deficit was as high as 13% about a decade ago.
The data, based on gap between demand raised and demand met, shows that June onwards the country will have more electricity than required. Half of the states will be surplus, while others may face shortage in varying degrees. The Modi government says power surplus scenario as one of its big achievements.