Jayawanti Mehta, India's power minister, has outlined the country's Tenth Plan, which focuses on the hydroelectric energy sector. 40 per cent of the 41 000 MW of planned capacity is expected to come from this sector, with private sector participation limited to 8 000 MW. This should rebalance the thermal/hydro mix, in which hydro has slipped to 24 per cent of the total. The plan is to achieve parity with thermal energy by the end of the Plan period, and, because it is in line with the wish to develop more fully indigenous resources, has become a government priority, taking precendence over projects using imported fuels such as LNG. The government will look to cash-rich PSUs (public sector undertakings) such as the National HydroPower Corporation and the National Thermal Power Corporation to make large contributions towards the 15 000 MW target for hydro.
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