Power Ministry wants more gas to generate additional 15,000 MW

Our Bureau

New Delhi, Aug.18 The Power Ministry will ask for more natural gas for additional power generation capacity of around 15,000 MW to offset the coal shortage and to cut emissions.

“I will be taking up the matter with the Petroleum Ministry to allocate gas to support a capacity of about 15,000 MW in view of the coal supply situation and to reduce our carbon-dioxide emissions,” the Union Minister of Power, Mr Sushil Kumar Shinde, said in a speech at an industry conference on the ‘Key inputs for accelerated development of Indian power sector for the Twelfth Plan and beyond,’ here on Tuesday.
Capacity addition

The Minister said the country has added 16,395 MW since April 2007 as part of the capacity addition target of 78,700 MW pegged for the current, Eleventh, Plan period ending March 31, 2012. Capacity for 64,215 MW is under various stages of construction.

Admitting that there could be slippages of 8,000 MW, Mr Shinde said, “Slippages will be because of (the shortage of) coal and gas, and natural calamities… We had planned for (around) 78,000 MW. We may lose only about 7,000-8,000 MW.”

Speaking at the conference, Mr Rakesh Nath, Chairman of the Central Electricity Authority, said the sector would be able to achieve a capacity addition of 55,000-57,000 MW. He also said the Centre would target a capacity addition of around 1,00,000 MW power during the Twelfth Plan period starting April 2012.