Thermal Power Projects: 39,545 MW Under Construction

New Delhi, Feb 9 (PTI) Thermal power projects up to 39,545 megawatt capacity are currently under various stages of construction in the country, Parliament was informed on Monday.

As per the studies, 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 of March 2023, Minister of State for Power Shripad Naik said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

To meet this requirement, the power ministry has envisaged setting up an additional 97,000 MW of coal and lignite-based thermal capacity, he informed the Upper House.

He said that contracts of 22,920 MW projects have been awarded and are due for construction. Further, 24,020 MW of coal and lignite-based candidate capacity has been identified, which is at various stages of planning in the country, he said.

Thermal capacities of around 17,360 MW have already been commissioned since April 2023 till January 20 this year, he said.


"39,545 MW of thermal capacity (including 4,845 MW of stressed thermal power projects) is currently under construction," Naik said.

The cost of the 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, was in the range of Rs 4.98-4.99/kWh.