Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is on a two-day tour of Orissa, today said bold and forward-looking decisions are needed to hasten power sector reforms to facilitate massive investment and suggested a paradigm shift in energy policies to diversify the country’s choices.

“The need is to take bold and forward looking decisions in the power sector and our government recognises the need for urgent reform in this sector along with massive investment,” Singh said while dedicating the 3,000 MW super thermal power station of NTPC at Kaniha, near here, through a video conference. The prime minister spoke from the state capital — televised live over Doordarshan, said the Planning Commission had estimated that by 2030 the energy generation capacity would require to go up from the current level of1,31,000 MW to more than 8,00,000 MW.

Heavy rains spoilt the prime minister’s itinerary who could not visit Kaniha.

“This is a gigantic task. We have to widen and diversify our choices and strategies. We have to develop all sources of energy including, oil, gas, coal, hydel, solar, biogas and nuclear,” he said. Even coal is not as abundant as is generally believed, Singh said adding in 25 years, the country’s coal requirement would cross 1.7 billion tonnes annually.

Singh added that the Centre would make massive investments in Orissa for its development and help the state in promoting road construction, telephone connectivity and rural electrification and assured that funds would not be a constraint.

“Orissa continues to be one of the most backward states in the country on many parameters and needs massive investment in human development, in infrastructure and in rural development,” he said. Singh said over 4,500 villages in the state were still not connected by road, while over 9,000 habitations were not yet electrified.

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