For the first time in 4 decades, hydroelectric power production in India declined

A Reuters analysis of government data showed that India’s hydropower production fell at the largest pace in at least 38 years during the year ending March 31, as erratic rainfall led to increased reliance on energy produced using coal amid rising demand.

A decline of about 16.3 percent in power generation from the country’s largest source of clean energy coincided with a decline in the share of renewable energy sources in the energy mix for the first time since Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to boost solar and wind energy capacity at the United Nations climate talks in Paris in 2015.

Indian grid data showed that the share of hydropower in India’s total energy production fell to an unprecedented level of 8.3 percent during the fiscal year ending March 31, compared to an average of 12.3 percent in the ten years to 2020.

The biggest decline in rainfall since 2018 has reduced water levels in reservoirs, pushing annual hydropower generation capacities to a five-year low of 146 billion kilowatt-hours. (The opinion)