NSAB chairman moots pipeline through China

The Chairman of the National Security Advisory Board, Mr. Maharajakrishna Rosgotra, today called for concerted efforts to find alternative sources of energy, especially solar energy.

New Delhi, Nov.29 : The Chairman of the National Security Advisory Board, Mr. Maharajakrishna Rosgotra, today called for concerted efforts to find alternative sources of energy, especially solar energy.

"Very little has been done in the area of solar energy. Research is going on in the US. But, we should take the lead. Instead of the US, we should bring in researchers from abroad also and do some solid work," Rasgotra said in his inaugural address at the Sixth Petro India 2007, organised by Observer Research Foundation and India Energy Forum.

The theme of this year's conference is "India's Changing Gas Scenario: The New Imperatives".

Rasgotra, a former Foreign Secretary and now President of the Centre for International Affairs of the ORF, suggested that India should spend at least one billion dollars per year for five years to make the harnessing of solar energy as an alternative. He also called for bigger investments in exploration to increase domestic production considerably.

Saying Russia, China and the US are playing a game in Central Asia region, rich in natural gas, and trying to divert natural gas to European side, Rasgotra suggested even joint drilling with China, another major guzzler of energy.

Rasgotra also asked the conference to ponder over his idea of building a pipeline from Central Asia through China, instead of the pipelines through Iran, Afghanistan, Baluchistan, etc.

The Chairman of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRG), Labanyendu Mansingh, in his keynote address said that in India, the market of natural gas is not market driven like in western countries, but supply driven. He said the regulator here would have to start from the scratch. However, Mr. Mansingh hoped that the process would evolve soon and the regulator would be able to do justice to the producers as well as the consumers.

He said the use of natural gas in the total commercial energy mix of the country is estimated to go up to over 20 per cent by the end of 11 th Five Year Plan, from the present 8 per cent.

Anil Razdan, Secretary of the Power Ministry, announced that the Krishnapatanam Ultra Mega Power Project, which will be run on imported coal, would be awarded tomorrow (Friday). Reliance Power is the lowest bidder.

Mr. Razdan was delivering a special address.

Mr. Razdan reiterated that by 2012, the government would electrify all the villages in the country, creating a capacity of 78,500 MWs, which is more than the capacity created in the last three 5-year plans. He said the government wanted to increase the 600 unit per house per year to 1000 units per house in five years time.

He Razdan said the Central Government is giving an unprecedented grant of more than 90 per cent to improve power generation and electrification. He hoped that the efforts of the government would lead to "a decisive, competitive and vibrant market."

Regulators, policy makers, experts, producers and consumers are discussing various aspects of India's changing gas scenario, like challenges to exploration and production, prospects for LNG and transnational pipelines, issues of access, affordability and regional disparities, regulatory challenges and growth of infrastructure.

ANI