Capacity addition most important for rising power demand: Shinde

New Delhi, May 27 (UNI) Government today said capacity addition remains the top priority as a measure to cope with the rising power demand.

Speaking at the launch of the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC), Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said the main agenda on his list is capacity addition.

''The country faces a 14 per cent shortage of power at the moment and it will further escalate if the situation is not checked,'' said Mr Shinde.

He said the government has been trying to add more power capacities but has failed due to the heavy leakages. ''The capacity addition can be successful only if we are able to plug the heavy leakages,'' he added.

The government also is looking at setting up new projects. An ultramega project is to come up in Jharkhand, said the minister.

Talking about the code, Mr Shinde said the measure was aimed at increasing efficiency by 35 per cent from the current 20 per cent.

The code provides a set of guidelines on the construction of energy-efficient commercial buildings. The implementation of the code is voluntary at present but will be made mandatory as the required equipment and trained professionals are available.

The minister in this regard will meet concerned states ministers for discussing plans for the implementation of ECBC in the states tomorrow.

Some public sector units like NTPC, CPWD, PGCIL and BSNL, etc have already agreed to comply with the code in their next construction projects.

UNI