It is not cost per unit of power but quality and availability that should concern the industry, said Saurabhbhai Patel, Finance Minister of Gujarat.

Responding to a senior executive from a manufacturing unit raising a question on cost of power in Gujarat, Patel said availability of power and competitive pricing are issues to be considered as they burden consumers, especially industry.

A utility with efficient distribution, low transmission and distribution losses, and minimal cash losses will be naturally competitive. On these counts Gujarat is ahead with a power surplus — it backs down nearly 5,000 MW of generation capacity — the utility is cash positive and 24-hour quality power supply is assured.

The State also has a diverse bank of fuels for power generation including coal, solar and gas. The State has a well established grid for energy water and gas with more than 15 lakh households in cities and villages getting piped gas.

Patel was making a pitch to industry for participation in the ‘Vibrant Gujarat 2015 – The Global Business Hub’ to attract investments to the State. Gujarat will have a clutch of industry-specific policies to attract investments ahead of the event to be held between January 11 and 13.

Focus area Key focus areas for the State are textile, automobiles and downstream petrochemical industries. These will be encouraged with a number of incentives. Service sector will be a focus area with the State set to announce an IT policy in the next few days. Also in the pipeline are policies for SMEs and start-ups in the small-scale sector, he said. Vibrant Gujarat is positioned as a platform to attract investments not just to the State but the entire country as all State governments can showcase their potential, he said.

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