New Delhi, March 9 Over 24,000 megawatts of power generation capacity based on coal and lignite is currently in various stages of planning across 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 the Rajya Sabha.
While contracts for 22,920 MW have been awarded and are scheduled for construction, another 24,020 MW of coal and lignite-based capacity is being identified, which is at various stages of planning across the country, the Minister of State said.
He stated that the projected thermal (coal and lignite) capacity requirement by the year 2034-35 is estimated at approximately 3,07,000 MW, compared to the 2,11,855 MW installed capacity as of March 31, 2023.
To meet this requirement, the Ministry of Power has envisaged setting up an additional minimum of 97,000 MW of coal- and lignite-based thermal capacity, Naik said.
The minister also stated that the projected plant load factor of coal-based plants by the year 2031-32 is estimated to be around 61%.
However, the PLF of coal-based power plants will depend on factors such as the increase in electricity demand, the actual realization of coal-based and renewable energy capacity, etc., he stated.
Regarding the cost of power, he said that the price of electricity generated from coal-based plants depends on various factors such as the plant's lifespan, the distance of the plant from coal mines, the type of technology (sub-critical, super-critical), etc.
The all-India Weighted Average Rate of Sale of Power (WARSP) for electricity generated from existing coal-based plants over the past three years ranges from ₹4.36/kWh to ₹4.58/kWh, with the lowest tariff being about ₹1.52/kWh.
The tariff discovered for new coal-based thermal power projects selected through the tariff-based competitive bidding (TBCB) route is in the range of ₹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 in the range of ₹4.98-4.99/kWh.
