India to become electricity surplus within five years

NEW DELHI: Energy-hungry India, which currently faces huge power deficit, will become an electricity surplus country in next four-five years, Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde told Rajya Sabha on Monday.

"Currently, we have a 70,000 MW deficit," he said replying to supplementaries during Question Hour.

He said the massive capacity addition programme including introduction of ultra mega power projects with single generation unit of 4000 MW had been launched.

The Power Ministry will move Cabinet soon for changing the hydro-electric policy to tap 150,000 MW of potential in the North-East.

Besides, private sector is being encouraged to set up captive generating capacities, he said.

With all these measures "I am confident that in next 4-5 years, the country will be surplus in power," Shinde said.

He, however, said in view of the past experience of failed US energy major Enron Corporation, the government was taking all precautions while welcoming the private sector into power generation.

India, he said, welcomed Russian and Chinese firms in power generation.

The Power Minister said nearly 21.1 per cent of BPL households out of an estimated 3.04 crore had received electricity connections till March 31, 2006.