Ministry To Chart Power Plan For 18000 Villages

The Union ministry of non-conventional energy sources will draw up a detailed action plan to electrify around 18,000 villages by 2012.

The formulation of the action plan was one of the issues discussed at the annual conference on "Renewable energy strategy for the 10th Plan", which began in New Delhi today.

According to a Union power ministry source: "The conference would also showcase a display of different types of zero-emission electric vehicles manufactured in India by BHEL, Reva, Scooters India Ltd, Mahindra & Mahindra and Bajaj as part of the country's search for a clean and pollution-free mode of transport keeping in view the need to develop environment-friendly transport."

The two-day conference was inaugurated by the Union minister of state for non-conventional energy sources, M Kannappan, with the Union power minsiter Suresh Prabhu being the chief guest.

The two-day meet will focus on formulating the strategy and an action plan to accelerate the pace of development and deployment of non-conventional energy sources in the country. The conference will be attended by state secretaries and senior officials of all states and Union territories.

Representatives of Central and state electricity regulatory panels, financial institutions, state electricity boards and public sector undertakings have also been invited for the meet.

The meet will also deliberate on programmes for meeting minimum rural energy needs through socially-oriented renewable energy programmes.

A detailed presentation on five important sectors of renewable energy will be made during the conference.

The presentation would include those on power generation from renewables, meeting minimum rural energy needs from renewables, village electrification and decentralised energy supply options, renewable energy funding and future prospects.