Over 24,000 MW Coal, Lignite-Based Power Generation Capacity at Various Planning Stages: Govt

Over 24,000 megawatt of coal and lignite-based power generation capacity is at various stages of planning in the country, Parliament was informed on Monday.

A total of 39,545 MW of thermal capacity (including 4,845 MW of stressed thermal power projects) is currently under various stages of construction, Union Minister Shripad Naik said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha.

While contracts of 22,920 MW have been awarded and is due for construction, another 24,020 MW of coal and lignite-based candidate capacity has been identified, which is at various stages of planning in the country, the Minister of State said.

He said the projected thermal (coal and lignite) capacity requirement by the year 2034-35 is estimated at approximately 3,07,000 MW as against the 2,11,855 MW installed capacity as on March 31, 2023.

To meet this requirement, the Ministry of Power has envisaged to set up an additional minimum 97,000 MW coal- and lignite-based thermal capacity, Naik said.

The minister also said the projected plant load factor of coal-based plants by the year 2031-32 is estimated to be around 61 per cent.

However, PLF of coal-based power plants will depend on a number of factors like the increase in electricity demand, actual coal-based and RE capacity materialising, etc, he stated.

On the cost of power, he said the price of electricity generated from coal-based plants depends on various factors such as life of the plant, distance of the plant from the coal mines, type of technology (sub-critical, super-critical), etc.

The all-India Weighted Average Rate of Sale of Power (WARSP) of the electricity generated from existing coal-based plants for the past three years ranges from Rs 4.36/kWh to Rs 4.58/kWh, with the lowest tariff being about Rs 1.52/kWh.

The tariff discovered for new coal-based thermal power projects selected through tariff-based competitive bidding (TBCB) route is in the range of Rs 5.38-6.30 /kWh. This is based on bidding carried out in 2025.

The tariff discovered under firm and dispatchable renewable energy (FDRE) tenders awarded by SECI in August 2024, is the range of Rs 4.98-4.99/kWh.