Maha govt plans Rs 4500 cr invest plan for power sector

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday unveiled an ambitious Rs 4,500-crore investment plan for the power sector to meet its energy requirements by 2012. Replying to the debate on last week’s resolution on power crisis moved by Leader of the Opposition, Ramdas Kadam (Shiv-Sena), and Eknath Khadse (BJP) in the state legislature, state energy minister Sunil Tatkare said the Cabinet has already taken the decision to invest Rs 4,500 crore in the next 2-3 years. Listing out measures initiated to reduce load-shedding hours and improving the overall power scenario, he admitted that power stations have outlived their utility and are unable to work efficiently. Mr Tatkare said that during the past 7-8 years, the state has witnessed growth in demand for power while the installed power generation capacity stood at 6,700 mw. “Since power generation plants are old, they often face breakdowns, which suddenly cut off power supply,” he added. As for the coal shortage faced by the state thermal power plants, Mr Tatkare said he had held discussions with the CMD of Western Coalfields recently to sort out the issue so that thermal plants can get an uninterrupted coal supply. According to the minister, the state government is expecting the situation to improve between January and March 2009 with addition of 1,500 mw in phases.