The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : ‘Power supply will be a poll issue’

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Dec 30, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

‘Power supply will be a poll issue’

Special Correspondent

Private firms to generate 60,000 MW of power
Power utilities told to gear up for the competition

BANGALORE: “Power supply (including quality of supply)” is going to be one of the main issues in all future elections, including the one for the State Assembly, according to Rural Electrification Corporation Chairman and Managing Director Anil K. Lakhina.

“With development being the main poll agenda, power supply is definitely a major issue for all States as it plays an important role in everybody’s life. In Karnataka, elections are round the corner….” Mr. Lakhina said while delivering the 22nd silver jubilee commemoration lecture at a function organised by the Karnataka Electricity Board Engineers’ Association here on Thursday. He said power supply had played a crucial role in the elections in many States though people had not realised it. There would be a complete change in the equations within the power sector in about 10 years when private companies were expected to generate about 60,000 MW of power. With this and the open access system of power trading, only those who could sell power at lower rates could survive as there would be a tough competition among power generators.

He urged the power utilities to gear up for the competition.He expressed concern that the power sector had failed to catch up with the pace in which the country’s GDP was growing. This had resulted in shortage of power. He was hopeful that the country’s peak hour power shortage might come down in 10 years when more private players entered the sector.

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