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The Journal of the International Energy Agency - IEA

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2011 MINISTERIAL MEETING<br />

CURRENT FOCUS<br />

energy-efficient equipment. Our challenge,<br />

<strong>the</strong>refore, is to ensure energy frugality which<br />

is within <strong>the</strong> means <strong>of</strong> our citizens.<br />

What steps is India taking to alleviate energy<br />

poverty? How can <strong>the</strong> international<br />

community most effectively help India in<br />

this effort?<br />

<strong>The</strong> government <strong>of</strong> India, through its policies<br />

and programmes, is committed to providing<br />

electricity access to all citizens and<br />

ensure quality and reliable power supply<br />

at reasonable rates. RGGVY is a major initiative<br />

to extend access <strong>of</strong> electricity to all<br />

households in <strong>the</strong> country. About 96% <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

inhabited villages in India can now access<br />

electricity, and access by households has improved<br />

significantly from 44% (as per 2001<br />

Census) to 70%. We intend to achieve 100%<br />

electricity access through this programme.<br />

In order to ensure quality and reliability <strong>of</strong><br />

power, we have focused our attention on <strong>the</strong><br />

implementation <strong>of</strong> distribution reforms and<br />

policies designed to promote competition, efficiency<br />

and investment in <strong>the</strong> power sector.<br />

<strong>The</strong> international community can contribute<br />

by sharing <strong>the</strong> best practices adopted<br />

by various countries for an effective and efficient<br />

power sector management and technological<br />

advancements in <strong>the</strong> sector.<br />

Plan. In <strong>the</strong> 12th Plan we propose adding<br />

about 75 000 MW at <strong>the</strong> rate <strong>of</strong> 15 000 MW<br />

a year. In addition, 15 000 MW from renewable<br />

energy sources and 13 000 MW from<br />

captive power plants are expected to be<br />

added during <strong>the</strong> 12th Plan.<br />

Inadequate manufacturing capacity <strong>of</strong> main<br />

plant and plant equipment has always been<br />

a major bottleneck in achieving high capacity<br />

targets. We have, <strong>the</strong>refore, taken a number<br />

<strong>of</strong> steps to address this concern. Large<br />

units with super-critical technology and<br />

Ultra Mega Power Projects (UMPPs) are<br />

being set up to improve <strong>the</strong> generation <strong>of</strong><br />

power in <strong>the</strong> country.<br />

smart grids and to evolving <strong>the</strong> road map<br />

for implementation <strong>of</strong> smart grids in our<br />

country. <strong>The</strong> main functions <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Smart<br />

Grid Task Force are to ensure awareness,<br />

co-ordination and integration <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> diverse<br />

activities related to technologies, practices<br />

and services for smart grid research and<br />

development; to co-ordinate and integrate<br />

o<strong>the</strong>r relevant inter-governmental activities;<br />

to collaborate on an interoperability framework;<br />

to review and validate <strong>the</strong> recommendations<br />

from <strong>the</strong> Smart Grid Forum, etc.<br />

India’s rapid economic growth depends<br />

greatly on increased electricity – <strong>the</strong> <strong>IEA</strong><br />

predicts that demand will grow at least fivefold<br />

by 2050. How will this be achieved?<br />

Electricity, besides its importance in <strong>the</strong><br />

growth <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> country’s economy, plays a<br />

major role in <strong>the</strong> life <strong>of</strong> a common man and<br />

has a direct impact on <strong>the</strong> quality <strong>of</strong> life. In<br />

spite <strong>of</strong> capacity addition during <strong>the</strong> last<br />

60 years, <strong>the</strong> demand for power has always<br />

exceeded <strong>the</strong> supply, leading to energy shortages<br />

in India. Our endeavour and commitment<br />

<strong>the</strong>refore is to provide reliable, adequate,<br />

affordable and quality power to all<br />

users.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Indian economy is aiming to grow at <strong>the</strong><br />

rate <strong>of</strong> 8% to 10% during <strong>the</strong> next two Five-<br />

Year Plans. To sustain this growth, <strong>the</strong> infrastructure<br />

sector, including <strong>the</strong> power sector,<br />

will have to grow at a faster pace. This would<br />

require a huge capacity addition in <strong>the</strong> power<br />

sector apart from investment in transmission<br />

and distribution sectors. In <strong>the</strong> 11th<br />

Plan, we hope to add around 52,000 MW<br />

<strong>of</strong> fresh capacity, which would be almost 2.5<br />

times <strong>of</strong> capacity addition achieved in <strong>the</strong> 10th<br />

Power Minister Shinde at <strong>the</strong> 2009 <strong>IEA</strong> Ministerial: he reports continuing and close Indian co-operation with <strong>the</strong> <strong>Agency</strong>.<br />

You launched <strong>the</strong> India Smart Grid Task<br />

Force and Smart Grid Forum in 2010. What<br />

do smart grids <strong>of</strong>fer India?<br />

We envisage that smart grids will play a key<br />

role in our power system development and<br />

especially in enhancing <strong>the</strong> performance <strong>of</strong><br />

rural electricity supply systems. For <strong>the</strong> systematic<br />

growth <strong>of</strong> smart grids in <strong>the</strong> country,<br />

<strong>the</strong> India Smart Grid Task Force and <strong>the</strong><br />

India Smart Grid Forum have been set up<br />

under <strong>the</strong> aegis <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Ministry <strong>of</strong> Power.<br />

We are also a founding member <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>IEA</strong>’s<br />

<strong>International</strong> Smart Grid Action Network<br />

(ISGAN) Implementing Agreement.<br />

<strong>The</strong> India Smart Grid Task Force is an Inter-<br />

Ministerial Group and will serve as <strong>the</strong> government’s<br />

focal point for activities related to<br />

<strong>The</strong> India Smart Grid Forum is a non-pr<strong>of</strong>it<br />

voluntary consortium <strong>of</strong> public and private<br />

stakeholders, research institutes and selected<br />

utilities with <strong>the</strong> prime objective <strong>of</strong><br />

accelerating <strong>the</strong> development <strong>of</strong> smart-grid<br />

technologies in <strong>the</strong> Indian power sector. <strong>The</strong><br />

goal <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> forum is to help <strong>the</strong> Indian power<br />

sector to deploy smart grid technologies in<br />

an efficient, cost-effective, innovative and<br />

scalable manner by bringing toge<strong>the</strong>r all <strong>the</strong><br />

key stakeholders and enabling technologies.<br />

In July <strong>of</strong> this year, we launched <strong>the</strong> first<br />

renewable energy-based mini-grid system<br />

in collaboration with <strong>the</strong> Ministry <strong>of</strong> New<br />

and Renewable <strong>Energy</strong>. We expect that<br />

smart grids will help to optimise our transmission<br />

and distribution capacity and provide<br />

a fully-fledged opportunity to integrate<br />

renewable-based electricity into <strong>the</strong> power<br />

system.<br />

www.iea.org 25

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