The Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (GUVNL) will set up another 200 substations in the rural areas by 2012. The transmission and distribution losses of power is at present over 20 per cent, and the state wants to cut this to 15 per cent till 2010.

As per the estimates of ASSOCHAM, a one per cent decrease in transmission and distribution losses can save additional capacity of almost 800 MW.

S Jagdeesan, Principal Secretary (energy and petrochemicals) said: “GUVNL’s subsidiary, the Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation Limited (GETCO) will set up another 200 substations for the easy transmission of power in most parts of the state.”

Besides, several other steps are being taken to reach the goal of becoming a power surplus state, he added.

The state has already come up with the solar and wind power policy with amendments, which allows private companies to trade power. The erstwhile Gujarat Electricity Board (GEB) promoted GETCO is the wholly-owned subsidiary in the context of liberalisation and as a part of efforts towards restructuring of the power sector. The government is also working on several other aspects for making Gujarat a power surplus state.

At present, the installed capacity of Gujarat is 11,011 MW of which 4,766 MW comes from the Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Ltd (GECL); 2,677 MW from the central power sector share, and 3,568 MW is sourced from independent power producers (IPP) or private players.

“With a total proposed power generation capacity of 18,759 MW against the projected demand of over 14,000 MW by 2012, Gujarat is heading towards becoming a power surplus state,” Jagdeesan added.