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Focus on future power needs

Special Correspondent

Rangasamy spells out requirements in the next five years

Puducherry: Chief Minister N. Rangasamy has urged the Union Power Ministry to ensure allocation of entire power requirement of Puducherry in the XI Plan (2007-2012) from the Central sector and joint venture projects. The Union Territory Administration would need 215 megawatt (MW) of additional power during the next five years.

Addressing the meeting of the Chief Ministers on power issues held in New Delhi on Monday, the Chief Minister said that the Union Territory depended wholly on the allocation from the Power Ministry. Hence, the requirement had to be met from mega power projects.

Mr. Rangasamy told the participants that present power demand was around 370 MW, and it was just sufficient to meet our current needs. It was available from Central power stations, neighbouring State Electricity Boards and from the Puducherry Power Corporation's generation of 35 MW in Karaikal.

Mr. Rangasamy said that the administration contemplated expansion of the present capacity of the power plant at Karaikal from 32.5 MW to 132.5 MW, for which an additional allocation of 4.85 cubic metres of natural gas a day was required.

He said that the Corporation could go in for a generation of 50 MW power in the first phase, and hence at least 2.5 lakh cubic metre of gas a day be allotted. He also sought sufficient funds to strengthen transmission and distribution system to bring down the transmission loss to 15 per cent. He informed the meeting that all the 92 revenue villages here were electrified even as early as 1972.

The number of rural households that were yet to be electrified at present would be much less than 10 per cent. He listed various reasons such as court cases, land disputes and objection from property owners that were hampering the progress in electrification of households. Puducherry Administration had established a separate "Renewable Energy Agency" to take steps for energy conservation.

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