Energy sector in Gujarat: Performance and prospects

With the presence of MNCs and Big corporate players of the country, Gujarat holds a strategic position in the Indian power industry. It has been ranked 2nd in the Power Sector rating Report (2005) of CRISIL-ICRA submitted to the Ministry Of Power, India. Gujarat has installed capacity of 9288 MW with the projected peak demand of 10605 MW. The expected addition of 536 MW by the end of 2007 will still result into the deficit of almost 2652 MW in the installed capacity by the year end. This depicts the growth prospects in the power sector of the state. The article gives an overview of the major public and private players in energy sector, performance and prospects of energy sector including oil& natural gas and renewable energy sources. The projections of the per capita energy consumption suggest a tremendous growth, which will be nearly impossible to deal with the current power generation capacity. The massive expansion is needed to cater the growing power needs in order to sustain a growth in not only secondary but also in the primary and tertiary sectors of the economy. The article also highlights the achievements of Jyotigram Yojana, the flagship programme of Gujarat Government to provide uninterrupted supply of electricity to rural areas