India to set up power project management board
Friday, 22 June 2007
NEW DELHI, June 21 (PTI): With a colossal target of augmenting power generation capacity by 76,000 MW in the next five years, the government yesterday announced setting up of a National Power Project Management Board (NPPMB) to speed up execution of all projects on time.
"...the APDRP (Accelerated Power Development Reforms Development Programme) scheme is being revised and a National Power Project Management Board will be set up to assist state and central utilities to ensure timely completion of all power projects," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said yesterday.
Such a board assumes importance as the country had failed to achieve the capacity addition target for the 10th Plan period (2002-07). As against the targeted 41,000 MW, only 22,000 MW was added during the five years till 2007.
Singh, after dedicating the high-capacity link East-North Tala Transmission System to the country, said that states should set up special courts to try cases of power theft.
"We had agreed that as losses come down to agreed levels, we will reward performing states appropriately," he said and pointed out that his government would provide required financial assistance for upgrading transmission and distribution systems.
"The time has come for us to address the challenge on the energy front on a war footing. The complacency of the past, be it with respect to conventional or non-conventional sources of power, or indeed nuclear power, must end. The people of our country are not going to wait endlessly for us to sort out our administrative, political and theological problems," he said.
The Tala Transmission System is the first high capacity link built jointly by Powergrid and Powerlinks (a Tata Power Company) at a cost of Rs 28 billion through public-private partnership.
The prime minister said the Tala Hydro project and Tala Transmission System symbolised the determination of India and Bhutan to find new pathways of regional cooperation for sustainable development.
"The two countries are committed to promote cooperation in diverse fields for mutual benefit. I do hope that we can replicate this highly successful win-win model of bilateral cooperation with Bhutan in the power sector with Nepal too," the prime minister said.
He suggested that the country must tap the hydro-energy potential in this region more efficiently.
"The Tala transmission system will enable us to evacuate power from Bhutan and supply it to the eastern and northern regions of India. This will augment the capacity of the national power grid and make it easier for us to balance the supply and demand equation in power," Singh pointed out.
"...the APDRP (Accelerated Power Development Reforms Development Programme) scheme is being revised and a National Power Project Management Board will be set up to assist state and central utilities to ensure timely completion of all power projects," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said yesterday.
Such a board assumes importance as the country had failed to achieve the capacity addition target for the 10th Plan period (2002-07). As against the targeted 41,000 MW, only 22,000 MW was added during the five years till 2007.
Singh, after dedicating the high-capacity link East-North Tala Transmission System to the country, said that states should set up special courts to try cases of power theft.
"We had agreed that as losses come down to agreed levels, we will reward performing states appropriately," he said and pointed out that his government would provide required financial assistance for upgrading transmission and distribution systems.
"The time has come for us to address the challenge on the energy front on a war footing. The complacency of the past, be it with respect to conventional or non-conventional sources of power, or indeed nuclear power, must end. The people of our country are not going to wait endlessly for us to sort out our administrative, political and theological problems," he said.
The Tala Transmission System is the first high capacity link built jointly by Powergrid and Powerlinks (a Tata Power Company) at a cost of Rs 28 billion through public-private partnership.
The prime minister said the Tala Hydro project and Tala Transmission System symbolised the determination of India and Bhutan to find new pathways of regional cooperation for sustainable development.
"The two countries are committed to promote cooperation in diverse fields for mutual benefit. I do hope that we can replicate this highly successful win-win model of bilateral cooperation with Bhutan in the power sector with Nepal too," the prime minister said.
He suggested that the country must tap the hydro-energy potential in this region more efficiently.
"The Tala transmission system will enable us to evacuate power from Bhutan and supply it to the eastern and northern regions of India. This will augment the capacity of the national power grid and make it easier for us to balance the supply and demand equation in power," Singh pointed out.