The Centre must take the rap for the shortage in generation of power. The peak power deficit-the gap between demand and supply in the summer of 2010-according to the Government's own calculations was 10.8 per cent. The responsibility for distributing available power inefficiently falls on the states. Losses in distribution average over 30 per cent across India.
At the Centre, the power, environment, coal and heavy industries ministries have in various ways acted as obstacles to the addition of capacity. In the states, populist governments and spineless electricity regulators have done little to reform ailing distribution networks. The situation is expected to get worse before it gets better.
The Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the main advisory body to the Union power minister, has set a target of 100,000 mw of additional power generation in the period of the 12th five-year plan between 2012 and 2017. That is what is needed to meet the power demand of an economy forecast to grow at 9 per cent per annum. The Planning Commission accepts this target but Environment Ministry does not which says that the target is "ecologically unsustainable".
Environment Ministry is worried about the impact this additional generation will have on climate change. Seventy per cent of this additional capacity is to be added through coal-based thermal power. Given the dismal record over the past 20 years, Environment Ministry need not worry about the Government meeting its target. According to Planning Commission estimates, only an average of 50.5 per cent of overall targets were met in the eighth, ninth and tenth five-year plans between 1992 and 2007.
At the Centre, the power, environment, coal and heavy industries ministries have in various ways acted as obstacles to the addition of capacity. In the states, populist governments and spineless electricity regulators have done little to reform ailing distribution networks. The situation is expected to get worse before it gets better.
The Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the main advisory body to the Union power minister, has set a target of 100,000 mw of additional power generation in the period of the 12th five-year plan between 2012 and 2017. That is what is needed to meet the power demand of an economy forecast to grow at 9 per cent per annum. The Planning Commission accepts this target but Environment Ministry does not which says that the target is "ecologically unsustainable".
Environment Ministry is worried about the impact this additional generation will have on climate change. Seventy per cent of this additional capacity is to be added through coal-based thermal power. Given the dismal record over the past 20 years, Environment Ministry need not worry about the Government meeting its target. According to Planning Commission estimates, only an average of 50.5 per cent of overall targets were met in the eighth, ninth and tenth five-year plans between 1992 and 2007.
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