BHUBANESWAR: Minister of State for Energy Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak on Monday went on a Centre-bashing alleging discrimination on Central assistance to the State.While the Centre is providing aid to other states under the Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (R-APDRP), Odisha has been denied the assistance. This is despite the fact that Odisha pioneered electricity reforms in the country and was the first to privatise the distribution, he said at an exhibition-cum-seminar, Electricity Odisha-2012.After APDRP assistance was stopped, the State Government launched a ` 2,400 crore CAPEX (capital expenditure) programme for system upgradation in the transmission and distribution sector, he said adding that efforts are being made to meet the growing power demand. The average annual power growth of the State is 10 per cent, he added. The Government has signed 29 MoUs for establishment of thermal power plants with cumulative capacity of 37,440 MW. Two independent power projects of 1250 MW capacity have already been commissioned with another seven projects of 8100 MW in the pipeline. The State will have a share of 1200 MW from the seven projects, he said.Industries Minister Raghunath Mohanty said the State is facing power deficit despite the huge coal reserves. The deficit has increased from eight per cent to 30 per cent in the last five years. Even though the State has a deposit of 26 per cent of the total coal reserves of the country, the poor quality coal and low supply has affected thermal power generation.The Minister exuded confidence that the State would become a power hub of the country once all the power projects are commissioned.Inaugurating the seminar organised by the Utkal Chamber of Commerce and Industries (UCCI) in association with the State Government, BJD strongman Pyarimohan Mohapatra emphasised that the stakeholders should deliberate on core issues like displacement, proper development of coal blocks and solar power along with cluster approach to industrialisation.Chairman and Managing Director of Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) RN Nayak, Gridco CMD Hemant Sharma, UCCI president Ramesh Mohapatra and UCCI secretary Debabrat Dash spoke.The seminar will focus on power generation and supply, rural electrification programmes and setting up of power equipment manufacturing units in the State through cluster development approach.
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