Governance
India: 3rd Largest Producer of Electricity
- 20 Mar 2020
- 3 min read
Why in News
- As per the Key World Energy Statistics 2019, India is the 3rd largest producer of electricity in the world.
- India was 106th in terms of per capita consumption in 2017.
Key Points
- With a generation of 1,497 Terawatt-hour (TWh), India is the third largest producer and the third largest consumer of electricity in the world after the US and China.
- Although power generation has grown more than 100-fold since independence, growth in demand has been even higher due to accelerating economic activity.
- Electricity is also one of the eight core industries of India.
- Electricity use and access are strongly correlated with economic development.
- Related Government Initiatives
- Saubhagya Scheme: The 'Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana' was launched by the Government of India with the aim of providing electricity access to over 40 million families in the country.
- The Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana: UDAY was launched by the Ministry of Power to help turn around the poor financial situation of state discoms. It also envisages development of renewable energy sector and availability of 24*7 Power For All at an affordable price.
- Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA): It aims to promote efficient lighting, enhance awareness on using efficient equipment which reduce electricity bills and help preserve the environment. The project is spearheaded by the Energy Efficiency Services Limited.
International Energy Agency
- The IEA was created in 1974 to help coordinate a collective response to major disruptions in the supply of oil.
- It was established in the wake of the 1973 (set up in 1974) oil crisis after the OPEC cartel had shocked the world with a steep increase in oil prices.
- It is made up of 30 member countries. It also includes 8 association countries.
- India became an associate member of International Energy Agency in 2017.
- It is an autonomous inter-governmental organisation within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) framework, headed by its Executive Director.
- The IEA has four main areas of focus, i.e. 4Es:
- Energy security,
- Economic development,
- Environmental awareness and
- Engagement worldwide.
- It is headquartered in Paris, France.
Key World Energy Statistics
- KWES is published by the International Energy Agency.
- It is an introduction to energy statistics, providing top-level numbers across the energy mix, from supply and demand, to prices and research budgets, including outlooks, energy indicators and definitions.
- It is part of the IEA's annual edition of the world’s most comprehensive series of energy databases and data services, which include World Energy Statistics and Balances and the full range of fuel information data services.
