‘POWER FOR ALL BY 2012′
Posted : June 23, 2006 at 11:33 am [IST]
This is the mission of the present government. As many other ambitious initiatives such as Bharat Nirman, and Sarv Shiksha Aviyan, the ‘Power for all by 2012′ ensures the power for all. It aims to increase our installed generation capacity to at least 2, 00,000 Mw by 2012.
India will add 75,000 megawatt during the Eleventh Five Year Plan period (2007-12), which will begin from the next financial year. The goal for the 11th Plan translates into an average growth of 15,000mw a year.
62,000 mw would come from conventional sectors including 17,000 from hydroelectric power, while another 6,000 mw would be generated by non-conventional sources.” Captive power generation could be around 7,000 mw, totaling the entire capacity addition at 75,000 mw, compared with 44,000 mw in the Tenth Plan period,” The target for hydel power generation during the Tenth Plan was 10,000 mw. It has been raised to 17,000 mw in the Eleventh Plan. The target set for nuclear power is 3000 mw.
The country’s transmission focuses on the creation of a National Grid in a phased manner by adding over 60,000 ckm of Transmission Network to evacuate additional 1, 00,000 Mw and carry 60% of the power generated in the country by the year 2012.
The existing inter-regional power transfer capacity is 9,000 Mw is to be further enhanced to 30,000 Mw by 2012 through creation of “Transmission Super Highways” with an investment of Rs. 71,000 crore. POWERGRID will mobilize Rs. 50,000 crore and remaining Rs. 21000 crore is envisaged to come through private sector participation.
Will it be like all other plans that never materialized or did overshoot the timeframes by years?
The short-term commitment seems to be as scheduled. Total addition to power capacity during the Plan period ending on 30 March 2007 would be 44,000 Mw, out of which 34,000 Mw would be from conventional sources, and the balance 10,000 mw from non-conventional sources. It will take the total capacity to 1,44,000 Mw. The total investment which would go towards capacity addition during the 10th Plan would be around Rs 1,86,000 crore. However, in the previous two Plan periods, the combined addition was 35,000 Mw only.
Why should we be hopeful now? Can power sector be free of politics? Can Electricity Act 2003 bring the desired transformation? Can power go out of the hands of the unscrupulous employees of SEBs?
Many news may be disturbing, but still there are evidences of fast track movement towards ‘power for all’, without which India just can’t even dream for maintaining GDP growth rate of even 7%, what to think of 10%.
On energy independence
- Indra
Category: Government Policy/Administration |
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