Gujarat to double power generation capacities in 2 yrs

Taking a major leap towards increasing power generation capacities, Gujarat is poised to double its existing installed capacities over next two years, a top government official informed today.

Speaking at the fourth international conference on 'India Energy Conclave 2010' organised by Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) in Ahmedabad today, DJ Pandian, principal secretary, energy and petrochemicals department, government of Gujarat mentioned that the state has achieved 12,000 MW of installed power generation capacities so far, while many more power projects are under commissioning stage, the capacity would double in next two years.

“The state has achieved rapid growth in setting up power generation capacities over past decade. In 2001, the state had an installed capacity of around 4,000 MW, which has increased to 12,000 MW now. With many more projects under development, we expect the installed capacity to rise to 24,000 MW in next two years,” Pandian said adding that the state has achieved self-sufficiency in power generation.

Taking the note of wide-spread development of power plants across the state, Pandian said, “Earlier, power plants were limited to the southern region of the state, while presently we see major power plants coming up in Saurashtra and Kutch region, showing a wide-spread presence across the state.”

Some of the major power plants he noted were 4,000 MW ultra mega power plant (UMPP) by the Tata Group, a 4,000 MW plant by Adani Group both in Kutchh. A 1000 MW power plant is being set up by GSPC Pipavav Power Company Ltd at Pipavav in Saurashtra, while two power projects worth 1200 MW each are being set up at Jamnagar and Sikka respectively.

Speaking about the power sector woes, industry captains noted that innovation in the fields of fuel cost management, transmission & distribution, equipments and government policy was required to make it more commercially viable.

While, some of the industry players supported a subsidy-based development of power infrastructure in the country, some leaders proposed for more private sector inclusion in the power sector. JM Pathak, chairman and managing director, Rural Electrification Corporation Ltd said, “Power sector will continue to remain subsidized as it is one of the key infrastructure sector.”

Meanwhile, industry leaders also recognized the need to increase the demand potential for power. However, most of them opined that Gujarat has a fairly higher per capita consumption of power in the country.

Some of the majors in the power sector including Rural Electrification Corporation Ltd, Adani Power, Jindal Power and power sector consultants participated in the conclave.