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RAS question

Rajasthan's total installed power capacity is dominated by:

Correct answer: (D) Thermal (coal + gas + lignite).

Rajasthan's total installed power capacity is dominated by thermal power, covering coal, gas and lignite-based generation.

  1. (A)

    Solar

  2. (B)

    Hydroelectric

  3. (C)

    Nuclear

  4. (D)

    Thermal (coal + gas + lignite)

Explanation

Rajasthan's Economic Review 2024-25 states that thermal power remains the dominant source of energy in the State. The review records total installed capacity at 26,325.19 MW up to December 2024 and explains that Rajasthan's power comes from several sources: thermal power, hydropower, gas-based generation and renewable energy such as wind, solar and biomass. Thermal capacity includes 7,830 MW in State-owned projects and additional central-sector thermal capacity. Solar and wind have grown quickly, with solar at 5,482.66 MW and wind at 4,414.12 MW up to December 2024, but the review still identifies thermal power as the dominant source in the installed-capacity mix.

Why the other options are wrong

  • (A) Solar is expanding rapidly and reached 5,482.66 MW up to December 2024, but Rajasthan's Economic Review 2024-25 still describes thermal power, not solar, as Rajasthan's dominant energy source.
  • (B) Hydroelectric power is present in the installed-capacity table, but hydro is limited in Rajasthan and the official review identifies thermal power as dominant.
  • (C) Nuclear power is not the dominant category; atomic allocation is listed separately at 456.74 MW, while Rajasthan's nuclear base is limited to Rawatbhata.

Concept

This tests the Rajasthan economy syllabus area on infrastructure, especially the State's power-sector composition. It recurs in RAS because candidates must distinguish long-term dominance in installed capacity from the fast growth of renewables such as solar and wind.

Source

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