SEBs financial stringency stalls growth
By James Paul | 29 Nov 2001
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Kochi: State electricity boards’ (SEBs) financial stringency is one of the biggest hurdles in the development of the power sector, National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) senior superintendent G S Pillai said.
Speaking at a campaign programme on ‘Electricity for All',’ Pillai said electricity bills are prepared for only 55 per cent of the power produced, and out of that only 41 per cent is collected, he said quoting the 16th Power Survey Report. "Forty-five per cent of the electricity is lost in the mechanism of distribution and transmission. Further, India is losing Rs 20,000 crore on account of electricity theft."
There is a deficit of 13 per cent of power in the fiscal 2001-2001, he said. A huge amount of Rs 8,00,000 crore is needed to produce 1 lakh mw of electricity in order to streamline activities even in 2012. Selling a single unit of electricity for 92 paise is making a loss of Rs 26,000 crore to the SEBs in various states. "As a matter of fact, the total debt of these boards has crossed the Rs 40,000-crore mark."
The Union ministry of energy has chalked out various strategies for the 10th tenth and 11th Five Year Plans. All public sector undertakings under the ministry would produce an additional power of 46,500 mw of electricity as part of the programme.
Besides, the SEBs, in association with private agencies, would produce 41,000 mw of electricity in the future. Programmes have been envisaged to produce 10,700 mw from nuclear power plants and increase production by 40 per cent from hydro-electric projects.
The ministry has also envisaged an accelerated power development programme to check power loss due to distribution and transmission. About 60 districts in the country have been identified for experimenting this scheme — Malappuram, Pathanamthitta and Kasaragod are the districts from Kerala.
Speaking at a campaign programme on ‘Electricity for All',’ Pillai said electricity bills are prepared for only 55 per cent of the power produced, and out of that only 41 per cent is collected, he said quoting the 16th Power Survey Report. "Forty-five per cent of the electricity is lost in the mechanism of distribution and transmission. Further, India is losing Rs 20,000 crore on account of electricity theft."
There is a deficit of 13 per cent of power in the fiscal 2001-2001, he said. A huge amount of Rs 8,00,000 crore is needed to produce 1 lakh mw of electricity in order to streamline activities even in 2012. Selling a single unit of electricity for 92 paise is making a loss of Rs 26,000 crore to the SEBs in various states. "As a matter of fact, the total debt of these boards has crossed the Rs 40,000-crore mark."
The Union ministry of energy has chalked out various strategies for the 10th tenth and 11th Five Year Plans. All public sector undertakings under the ministry would produce an additional power of 46,500 mw of electricity as part of the programme.
Besides, the SEBs, in association with private agencies, would produce 41,000 mw of electricity in the future. Programmes have been envisaged to produce 10,700 mw from nuclear power plants and increase production by 40 per cent from hydro-electric projects.
The ministry has also envisaged an accelerated power development programme to check power loss due to distribution and transmission. About 60 districts in the country have been identified for experimenting this scheme — Malappuram, Pathanamthitta and Kasaragod are the districts from Kerala.
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