India's installed generation capacity swells to 170.23 GW

India's installed power generation capacity of the country has surged to 1,70,228.86 MW.

This comes after a fresh thermal and nuclear capacity additions of 260 MW and 220 MW,respectively, in January.

According to a report released by the Central Electricity Authority, out of the total installed capacity, as of January 31, 2011, thermal power plants-- powered by coal, gas, naphtha and oil-- account for around 65.37 per cent, while hydroelectric plants contribute 21.95 per cent. Nuclear power plants account for 2.80 per cent. The share of renewable power capacity is 9.79 per cent.

As per the report, the western region of the country has the highest installed capacity, of 53,342.57 MW, followed by the southern region, with a capacity of 46,149.18 MW, and the northern region, with 45,662.82 MW, while the north-eastern region has an installed capacity of 2,329.06 MW, which is the least of any major region of the country, constituting 1.37% of the country's aggregate.

Further, the installed capacity of the eastern region stands at 22,669.11 MW, while that of the island regions has been pegged at 76.12 MW.

The grid connected captive generating capacity of the country aggregates to a total of 19,509 MW.