Huge investments in power sector necessary

India's power generation does not even match that of Brazil

India needs to invest more than $ US 2000 billion in the electric power sector in the years to come, according to an estimate, said W M Shivakumar, Director (Technical), Mangalore Electricity Supply Company (MESCOM) here on Monday.

He was delivering the inaugural address at a one-week workshop on ‘Recent Trends in Power System Operation and Control’ organised by the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering of the National Institute of Engineering, Mysore, under the aegis of the Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme.

He said that India’s power generation would have to increase manifold to catch up with even China and Brazil’s per capita consumption, leave alone the US and European Union. In the context of growing economy in the country, the demands of electrical energy in the country will also increase proportionately.

Blackouts, brownouts

“Unfortunately our electric systems are suffering from blackouts, brownouts and high losses,” he lamented. Today we need to build a world class electric infrastructure that addresses the consumer expectations of choice, transparency and quality of service, he said.

Further, Dr Shivakumar said that the power sector has been witnessing a slowdown on various fronts due to decreased financing, delay in clearances, fuel shortage and regulatory uncertainties. 

He called upon the researchers and students to come out with solutions on the challenges and global trends in the sector, role of technology and governance policy and approach to technology.