London: India plans to provide electricity in every village by 2007 and every house by 2012 by generating an additional 100,000 MW in the next nine years, Minister for Power Anant Gangaram Geete has said.

"At present we are not in a position to provide electricity to 45 per cent of our population," Geete said in an interview on October 22 night.

He said in the 10th Five Year Plan ending in 2007, 41,000 MW would be added to the power generation capacity and another 59,000 MW would be added in the 11th Plan period.

Out of the 41,000 MW, Central power projects with a total capacity of 32,000 MW were at various stages of implementation. The remaining 9,000 MW would be generated in the state sector.

Stating that review meetings were being held twice in a year at the ministerial, secretary and state level, Geete said, "I have full confidence that we will achieve the target within the stipulated period."

To a question, the minister said in all, 162 hydel projects have been identified in different parts of the country, particularly in the Himalayan region including Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal and North East. Most of the thermal projects were in the Eastern regional adjacent to coal belts.

Geete, accompanied by R V Shahi, secretary, Ministry of Power, said the five regional grids – East, West, South, North and North East – have become operational and the national grid would be set up soon.

By the year 2005, Delhi would get power from the Thala hydel project in Bhutan. Not only Delhi, all states from where the transmission lines would pass through would also get power, he said.

The minister said the country could not achieve the power generation target set for the 9th Plan, which in turn resulted in power shortage experienced in most part of the country.

He said the power situation in Delhi in 2003 was much better than 2002.

PTI