Power sector in India caught in multiple crises

the story OVERVIEW

The power problem of India lies not in installation flaws or generation capacity as is the widely held notion.

The problem lies in the estimation of demand and the actual availability stated.

The problem also lies in the fuel constraint that

surrounds the power sector.
ROHINI BATRA

Chandigarh

In the wake of massive grid failures that northern and eastern regions of the country faced last month, it is apparent that the power sector in India is presently faced with not just one serious situation, but with multiple challenges. Given that electricity is the lifeline for every other industry, this predicament is a looming cloud over the overall development of our developing country. According to MG Devasahayam, founder of Citizens’ Alliance for Sustainable Living, the power problem of India lies not in installation flaws or generation capacity as is the widely held notion.

“The problem lies in the estimation of demand and the actual availability stated,” he said. The problem also lies in the fuel constraint that surrounds the power sector in India. Coal Ministry has projected coal imports of 250-million tonne by 2017 and the figure itself is enough to understand the power sector’s degree of dependence on coal. Presently, more than 65 per cent of the total power generated in the country is through non-renewable energy resources like coal, while only two per cent of this share is generated through nuclear power plants.

Renewable resources account for mere 12 per cent of total electricity produced and 19 per cent from hydro power. The current Indian thermal power plants are designed to use blended feedstock of coal with a maximum 15 per cent import content of higher gross calorific value (GCV). To rein in the present crises, there is a need is to modify the power plants to accept a blend of domestic and imported coal of higher GCV. Another problem is that of the huge losses that our power sector is presently suffering.

Power Minister M Veerappa Moily recently unveiled the fact that more than 27 per cent of the total power generated in the country goes waste. On daily bases, this loss can provide uninterrupted power supply to Delhi for three days in peak summer. Government needs to understand the gravity of the situation and take this demand-supply gap seriously.

Quick action must be taken to bridge this gap and also ensure that the energy wastage is reduced to minimum. Power sector has low reliability and poor quality of electricity when it comes to the supply. The power grid is very weak, and this is reflected in the kind of drastic power blackouts that northern India witnessed in the previous month. Such interruptions not only affect the everyday life of the citizens. Indian power sector also depicts grave financial and functional shortcomings. The portion of electricity that is wasted in the government offices and buildings, burn a very huge and unfair hole in the pocket of the common bill-paying man