core sector communique

Number of Steps Taken to Improve Power Scenario

As against the mid-term appraisal capacity addition target of 62374 MW for the 11th Plan, a capacity of 40131 MW has been commissioned during the 11th Plan till 5th August, 2011. This is roughly double the capacity addition achieved during the 10th Five Year Plan.

In a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today Minister of State for Power Shri K.C. Venugopal said that 2036 MW of hydro power projects and 10350.7 MW of thermal power projects are running behind schedule and are likely to slip from their respective 11th Plan Mid-Term Appraisal capacity addition target. However, he said a number of steps have been taken to improve the power scenario during the remaining period of the Eleventh Five Year Plan and beyond. These include augmentation of manufacturing capacity of BHEL from 10,000 MW in December, 2007 to 20,000 MW by 2012; periodic review of issues related to supply of power equipment from BHEL by a Group under the chairmanship of Secretary (Heavy Industry); formation of several new joint ventures to manufacture supercritical boilers and turbine-generators for thermal power plants; bulk ordering of 11 units of 660 MW each with supercritical technology with mandatory phased indigenous manufacturing programme to promote indigenous manufacturing; sensitization of stakeholders to enlarge the vendors base to meet Balance of Plants requirements; rigorous monitoring of projects at different levels including by Ministry of Power, Central Electricity Authority, Power Project Monitoring Panel and Advisory Group under the chairmanship of Minister of Power; and introduction of web-based monitoring system.

The Minister informed that the capacity addition target for the 12th Five Year Plan has not yet been finalized. He said, the Planning Commission has set up a Working Group on Power under the chairmanship of Secretary (Power) for formulation of the 12th Five Year Plan which after holding consultations with various stakeholders will work out the capacity addition programme for the 12th Plan. Based on this the Planning Commission will finalize the target for the Twelfth Plan.