Interviews

Highest annual capacity addition in last one year is a fact that cannot be denied, but at the same time it is also a fact that PLF which was 77.5 per cent in 2009-10, has dropped to 64.46 per cent in 2014-15. This indicates that the capacity created is not being utilised optimally, and the reasons should be looked into and addresse

Yes. The Modi Government deserves to be complimented for above achievements since we have been a power deficit nation for decades. Our per capita power consumption is one third that of China and the world´s average.

These achievements will certainly be in the best interests of the power equipment sector. There are aggressive plans to add to power generation capacity and this is obviously going to boost demand of all related equipments like transformers, cables, HT switchgear, LT switchgear, black start generating sets, inverters, control systems, turbines, solar panels, transmission equipment, etc.

We have recently seen quite a few new transmission system projects being announced. For e.g. the Rs 10,000 crore North Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project (NERPSIP) and the 800 kV 6,000 MW HVDC Raigarh´Pugalur Transmission project.

The Indian power sector is undergoing important changes that are redefining the industry outlook. Persistent economic growth continues to drive power demand in India. The government had taken various initiatives in order to achieve the power generation target for FY2016.

Success is subjective and we are trying our level best to get more transparency in the black diamond sector. To start with, we are looking at one billion tonne of coal production from the current level of 500 million tonne in the next five years.

Our sector is one where you have long gestation periods and one can´t see results overnight. The last year has been a mixed bag; as they say, ´you win some, you lose some!´ Clearly, there have been positive initiatives from the new government, such as improvement in coal production, efforts to partially mitigate the problem of stranded gas-based generation, proposed changes in the Electricity Act, etc.

Globally, the success of solar energy deployment has been completely dependent on certain external factors. India is no different. With an encouraging 2013, the industry was more confident about the next couple of years. However, with issues like key administrative changes and anti-dumping concerns, the investment decision was stalled by some international players.

Under the strong leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I got the opportunity to head the Heavy Industries Ministry in which BHEL comes under my purview. If you analyse BHEL´s financial progress in the past two-three years, the company has been under tremendous pressure, mainly due to the coal scam that shook India.