Government aims to build world's largest transmission grid by 2017

NEW DELHI: Power Ministry has set an ambitious target of building the world's largest transmission network spanning across 1,40,000 circuit kilometres by 2017.


"We have an ambitious plan in the transmission sector in the 12th Plan period (2012-17). We want to increase current capacity of 1 lakh circuit kilometres to 1,40,000 circuit kilometres," Power Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told PTI.

Scindia said that "by the end of the 12th Plan, we would be able to create the largest transmission grid in the world".

The minister also said the country will have a single transmission grid by January next year.

"We would connect the Southern Grid with the National Grid by January 2014 and this is something that I am monitoring at my own personal level. Every two weeks, I meet officials from Power Grid to monitor the progress," he said.

At present, the southern grid is not connected to the national grid. Its connectivity with the rest of the grids would help in overcoming the acute electricity shortage in southern states.

Describing it as the 'achilles heel' of the power sector, Scindia said if we can bring about reformation in the distribution sector, we would have resolved one of the major issues confronting the power sector.

He said Bihar, Andra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have come on board. Tamil Nadu has almost completed its bond offer.

The government, in September last year, approved restructuring of Rs 1.9 lakh crore debt of State Electricity Boards in a move to turnaround the near-bankrupt power discoms.

"By the year 2022, the power demand will touch 4,00,000 MW and by 2032, the demand will be 8,00,000 MW," Scindia said. The power generation capacity of the country at present is 2,30,000 MW.

The minister also said that as much as 40 per cent of the investment in infrastructure comes from the power sector.