Dhumal demands more power for Himachal
16 Nov 2009
In view of shortage of power in Himachal Pradesh during winter, chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal on Sunday asked the centre to set up a 500 mw gas power plant in the state to cope with the increasing industrialisation.
Speaking at the power ministers' conference at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, he said, ''The gap between demand and supply is likely to touch 800 MW by 2012 due to rapid industrialisation. Timely action is required to check this.''
Hydel power generation dips drastically from October to March, as a result of which state has to face power cuts, Dhumal said at the power ministers' conference in New Delhi, according to an official release issued from Shimla.
Seeking more powers for the state in the allocation of electricity projects, Dhumal said the centre should consider giving the power of granting techno-economic clearance to projects worth up to Rs2,500 crore to the state. He said this would reduce the time taken in pre-implementation clearances. At present, states can accord techno-economic clearances to projects only up to Rs500 crore.
Dhumal also requested the centre to increase the 100 mw allocation from ultra mega power projects (UMPPs) to the state to 400 mw; and also requested it to hike the state's share of unallocated quota available with the union government to 15 per cent from October to April each year to ensure regular electricity supply to the consumers.
He requested the setting up of a mechanism for providing grants and soft loans to the hill states for development of hydroelectric projects and establishment of a transmission network, which require huge financial investment.
Dhumal said the state had harnessed just 6,500 mw of electricity out of an estimated potential of 23,000 mw, and added that around 10,000 mw would be harnessed by the end of the Eleventh Plan (mid-2012) which would be adequate to meet the growing energy needs of the state. He added that 15,000 mw of hydroelectric capacity would be generated in the state by the end of Twelfth Plan.
