Shinde outlines steps taken to regulate power availability

Washington, Apr 26 (UNI) Indo-U S cooperation in energy areas has been crystallizing over the years in government, academia and industry.

Some collaboration in the coal, gas and electricity sectors now exist and a number of American enterprises are operating in India but the magnitude is small relative to the total potential that can be exploited, Union Minister of Power Sushil Kumar Shinde said at a US India Business Council (USIBC) meeting yesterday.

Immense Indo-U S energy cooperation possibilities exist in the area of energy efficiency, nuclear energy, the application of biotechnology in biomass gasification, geophysical exploration, renewables, and other clean energy technologies, Mr Shinde said. He said the United States can also play a role in regional energy cooperation and ensuring energy security by promoting greater cooperation and integration of regional energy markets in electricity and natural gas, as well as the unhindered cross-border trading of cleaner fuels and energy resources among South Asian countries.

An Indo-US Working Group on Power and Energy Efficiency has been formed with the goals to advance understanding of efficient and reliable generation, transmission and distribution of electricity and promote the exchange of information on regulatory policies. It will undertake programs and technologies with special emphasis on the ''last mile'' distribution and clean coal preparation and modern coal conversion systems in the power generation.

This group, Shinde said, will promote the deployment of energy conservation practices that will improve the efficiency of energy use. It will also examine and implement steps to enhance trade and investment in the power sector and work with the private sector to identify areas of cooperation and collaborate with the business community on joint activities.

Presently, various programmes are running in Indian Power Sector with the cooperation of the United State agencies. Some of them are Distribution Reforms, Upgrades and Management (DRUM) project; Green Business Center (GBC) Programme; Greenhouse Gas Pollution Prevention (GEP); Energy Conservation and Commercialization (ECO) Project; Development Credit Authority (DCA) Programme etc.

Bringing the availability of energy up to the global average will require huge additions to the energy infrastructure in India. To attract foreign participation and investment in the energy sector, Shinde said, the Indian Government has taken various policy initiatives towards reforms, minimize the requirement of government sanctions in all the segments of power sector be it generation, transmission or distribution.

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