The State Power Minister, Mr Aryadan Mohammed, has called upon industrialists to look for alternative sources of power in view of the precarious power situation in the State.
Speaking at an interactive session organised by CII-Kerala on the power sector in Kerala, the Minister pointed out that alternative power sources such as wind energy have tremendous potential in the coming decade.
The Minister said that he was aware of the problems being faced by the industry and the government would look into it.
Lower tariff
The tariff rates in Kerala are much less when compared with other States. However, the sector is in need of urgent budgetary assistance to meet the industry demands and requirements, he added.
Stressing on the importance of developing hydel energy projects, Mr Umang Patodia, Chairman, Taskforce on Power, CII Kerala State Council, said that many industrialists in the State are willing to invest on a large scale in the power sector provided there were favourable conditions enticing and attracting investment.
There is high scope and potential in setting up small/mini hydel plants, which could have a capacity to generate almost 6,000 MW electricity, he said.
Requesting the Kerala State Electricity Board to provide incentives to HT consumers for converting to EHT, Mr Patodia said the Board should take steps to make this process hassle-free for industrialists.
Connection delay
Mr Najeeb Zackeria of CREDAI urged the Minister to look into the matter of long delays in obtaining power connections for building projects.
The objective of the interactive session was to highlight industry woes owing to the recently introduced electricity reforms and restrictions imposed by Kerala State Electricity Board. The event was well-attended by major industrialists from across the State.
The session was organized by CII as a roadmap towards the upcoming ‘Emerging Kerala 2012 – Biennial Global Connect.' Power is one sector which CII sees huge scope for development and potential.