No need for new TPPs in Maharahstra: Greenpeace

Mumbai, Oct 4 (UNI) A day ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visit to leading environmental group Greenpeace the city, today released a report, which emphasised that there is no need for capacity addition for electricity generation through Thermal Power Plants (TPPs) in Maharashtra.

''The current shortage in the state can be easily met through energy efficiency and reduction of transmission and distribution losses (T&D) without adding a single climate threatening megawatt to meet growing demand,'' energy campaigner for the group, Mr Soumyabrata Rahut said.

''Mumbaikars have experienced true costs of climatic changes due to global warming, now linked to irresponsible power generation choices. Maharastra must reconsider it's plans to further expand the four existing TPPs and immediately stop building four additional TPPs to prevent worse human induced calamities,'' he warned.

Advocating urgent action, Rahut said though India has no compulsion to reduce carbon emissions under the Kyoto Protocol. Yet, India should take responsibility to proactively protect it's people from climate change impacts and look beyond fossil fuels for lasting energy security.

The report, 'Switching the Energy Paradigm: Towards a New Capacity Planning Approach for Maharashtra', by Professor Narasimha Rao, details the energy scenario from the Financial year 2005 to 2010 and identifies that the state must adopt Integrated Resource Planning approach (IRP) to meet its peak power shortage of 2600 MW through the implementation of energy efficiency measures.

Girish Sant of Prayas Energy group added that a programme promoting massive uptake of efficient devices must be taken up immediately. Just replacement of incandescent bulbs by efficient lamp such as CFL can save six per cent of total demand and reduce transmission and distribution (T&D) loss.

It costs five times more to add a MW of electricity generation through a TPP than practising energy efficiency and addressing T&D losses, Sant explained.

The choices made in the next five to ten years will determine the extent of the devastation faced by future generations.

Maharashtra must seize the opportunity to significantly reduce carbon emissions that contribute to global warming without compromising the growing energy needs of the state through the IRP approach, Mr Soumyabrata added.

UNI GVS WD PR VV1706