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New Indian law on energy conservation likely

Legislation on energy conservation is likely to be tabled during the current session of Parliament, Power Minister Suresh Prabhu said Friday.

"The legislation is one of the many initiatives being taken to improve the condition of the power sector," Prabhu said while inaugurating a roundtable on Clean Energy Technology in Industry organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

India currently produces about 100,000 mw of power. About 25 to 30 per cent of this goes waste due to faulty distribution systems and theft - referred to as transmission and distribution losses. This is against the worldwide norm of 12 to 15 percent T&D losses. Experts estimate that India's T&D losses can be brought down by 50 per cent.

Of the balance 70,000 mw, experts estimate that some 15 per cent can be conserved by a variety of measures that include modernising and improving the efficiency of power plants and of the industries that consume the power.

Legislation to conserve power is vital as the country plans to add another 100,000 mw of capacity by 2012 to cater to the increasing demand, Prabhu said.

The power ministry has been holding discussions with various industry associations to drive home the importance of energy conservation measures, Prabhu said, adding that the government also aimed at making power generation environment friendly.

Currently, thermal plants that use non-renewable sources like coal to produce power generate 71 percent of the country's energy. Hydro plants generate 24 per cent and nuclear plants 2.5 per cent.

By 2012, Prabhu hoped, 35 per cent of the additional power generated would be by hydro plants, 20 per cent by nuclear plants and 10 per cent by plants using renewable sources of energy.

He said that the country's hydropower potential, if fully tapped, could itself account for additional generation of 150,000 mw.

FICCI president Chirayu Amin said the issue of clean energy technologies was important not only in the context of growing concerns about global warming but also in terms of managing the country's energy future.

Indo-Asian News Service

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