Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Advance planning must for achieving Power Sector targets: Sushilkumar Shinde

INTERNATIONAL CONCLAVE ON “KEY INPUTS FOR ACCELERATED DEVELOPMENT OF INDIAN POWER SECTOR FOR 12TH PLAN & BEYOND” BEGINS IN NEW DELHI 

Setting the tone for deliberations at the International Conclave on “key inputs for accelerated development of Indian power sector for 12th plan & beyond” which began in New Delhi today, Union Power Minister Shri SushilKumar Shinde called upon all stakeholders in Power Sector to plan in advance so that targets could be achieved well in time. Delivering the inaugural address, the Minister observed that advance planning is required due to long gestation period of the power projects. He said that lack of adequate planning had been the main cause of failure in achieving power sector targets set for the 8th, 9th and 10th plan periods. He said that more than 16000 MW capacity has already been added in the 11th plan and the rest of the targeted capacity is under various stages of construction. Appreciating the initiative of the Central Electricity Authority, CEA in preparing base paper for industry and utilities to asses their preparedness to meet future requirements, particularly in the 12th plan and beyond, Shri Shinde expressed hope that such efforts will ensure that the power sector targets are achieved without much hindrances. Expressing confidence in the power sector’s capabilities to achieve future targets, the Minister pointed out that there is a positive environment for the growth of the sector in the country. He said that while his Ministry planned for only 9 Ultra Mega Power Projects in 2007, 13 of them are being considered today. 

Addressing the gathering, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia stressed the need for concentrating on generation from renewables since the country has a large potential in the area. 

The main objective of the Conclave organized by Ministry of Power and CEA is to sensitize the industry and the utilities about the capacity addition and transmission/distribution expansion programme during the 12th Plan and beyond and to discuss their preparedness with respect to meeting the requirements of the power sector. During the Conclave Issues and Constraints being experienced by the project developers and the industry will be discussed and a road map for overcoming the bottlenecks in implementation of the capacity addition plan as also the corresponding transmission and distribution programmes would be drawn. CEA has prepared a base paper on key inputs for accelerated development of power sector for 12th Plan & beyond and a booklet indicating requirement of various equipments and materials for 12th Plan generation, transmission and distribution projects to enable industry to do advanced preparations. 

Speaking on the occasion, the Guest of Honour, Shri Bharat Sinh Solanki, Minister of State for Power, said that the major challenge before the Power Sector revolves around providing competitive power to industries and to all households while improving the reliability and quality of supply. Stressing the need to join hands and strive forward together to meet this challenge he said it is essential to exploit a balanced mix of all available energy resources governed by the principles of sustainable development, keeping in view the energy security of the country. The Minister also observed that due to the efforts of the Ministry of Power, orders were placed for about 51,000 MW during the last 2 years and nearly 80,610 MW is being monitored for implementation during the 11th Plan. 

Earlier, Shri HS Brahma, Secretary, Ministry of Power, stressed the need for team efforts to achieve future targets. The Conclave, he observed, aims to build that team spirit among all the stake holders. 

The two day event is widely attended by equipment manufacturers, contractors, private entrepreneurs, Power Utilities, financial institutions, consultants and training institutes. The industry partners of the Conclave are CII and IEEMA.

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