NEW DELHI | March 01, 2017: India's largest generation utility NTPC has produced 4.67% more power in the 11 months of the current financial year than the previous financial year, underlining government data showing the economy growing at a healthy 7% in the fourth quarter in spite of demonetisation of high-value notes in November.

"Electricity cannot be stored. So if generation has risen, consumption is coming from somewhere - domestic use, manufacturing or farming. It is well known that industrial activity makes up the bulk of power consumption. Mind you, generation has grown in spite of an annual energy saving of about 4,000 MW from the LED bulb programme," a power ministry official told TOI on Tuesday.

TOI had on January 27 first reported that key segments of the mines and mineral industries, which provide raw material for a range of manufacturing activities, remained unaffected by demonetisation and posted a sharp increase in output in the November-December period which overlapped with scrapping of currency notes of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500.

Data available till January from the coal and mines ministries were well supported by a record rise in electricity generation and bill collection by state distribution companies, indicating that demonetisation had failed to kill the economy's appetite for energy - considered a bellweather for industrial activities.

The Economic Survey, government's report card on the economy, said thermal power, with a growth of 6.9%, boosted overall power generation in 2016. Latest data shows NTPC and its joint ventures generated more than 251 billion units till February, which is 11.19 billion units more than 239.8 billion units produced in 2015-16. Four coal-fired power stations of the company figured among the Top 5 units in the country in terms of capacity utilisation -- called plant load factor, or PLF, in industry parlance -- in the 10-month period of 2016-17.

The Top 5 performing plants of NTPC at Talcher in Odisha, Singrauli in UP, Sipat and Korba in Chattisgarh saw capacity utilisation of 92%, 86.3%, 90% and 87.9%, respectively in the period under consideration. Indeed, February alone saw Korba Stage II and Sipat Stage II achieving more than 100% PLF. Available data shows on February 25 and 26, four commercial stages of NTPC stations achieving more than 100% PLF on each day.

NTPC has a total installed capacity of 48,143 MW with 19 coal-burning plants, seven gas-fired stations, 10 solar projects, one hydel station and nine subsidiaries/joint ventures The company has about 23,000 MW capacity under implementation at 23 locations across the country including 4,300 MW in the joint venture.

(Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)