be added rapidly .
“ The planning process for energy has to start at least 10 years early if we have to match our demand with supply ; and supplemental efforts must come from both public and private sector .”
He said nuclear power is an option that states like Kerala can consider since it requires less land , less fuel by volume when compared to coal , is cheap , reliable , has negligible emissions and has a far longer life relative to other renewables .
Dr A K Balyan , Managing Director and CEO of Petronet LNG Ltd and Shri J Wason , Chairman , Kerala GAIL Gas Ltd made detailed presentations on natural gas as an energy source .
Dr Balyan pointed out that natural gas has been acknowledged as the cleanest and the most efficient fuel . He said across the world new , massive gas reserves are being discovered every year ; in the future more availability will translate into lower costs .
He said the way forward for the sector was having robust infrastructure , creation of a sovereign fund to help companies acquire assets outside and better pricing and taxation to improve affordability of gas as an energy source .
Shri . Wason listed the wide applications of natural gas in various sectors ranging from power generation , industrial purposes such as in bakeries , cashew factories , steel foundries , glass manufacturing ; for transport ; cooling and refrigeration . He said the Kochi- Mangalore pipeline project will create a virtual river of energy that can drive economic growth . Shri . M Sivasankar , Secretary ( Power ) and Chairman , KSEB , chaired the session .
The afternoon session focused on non-conventional energy sources and waste management . Speakers included Dr . Rajan Khobragade , Secretary ( LSG ); Dr Kala Seetharam Sridhar , Head , Public Policy Research , Public Affairs Centre , Bangalore ; Shri . Narasimhan Santhanam , Co-founder and Director , Energy Alternatives India ; Shri M S Unnikrishnan , Managing Director Thermax ; Shri . Mohammed Hussain , Director , Centre for Wind Energy Technology ; Shri . Ajith Gopi , Joint Technical Director , ANERT ; and Dr Prava Debal , Assistant General Manager , Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd .
Shri K M Chandrasekhar , Vice Chairman , Kerala State Planning Board made the concluding remarks at the workshop .
58
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
July 2013
METRO mart