Energetica India Magazine January-February 2021

Vijay Chhibber Director General, Electric Power Transmission Association (EPTA) How significant is the role of power transmission sector in contributing towards India’s USD 5 trillion econo - my dream? V ijay C hhibber : Availability of clean and reliable electricity is a primary requisite for any modern economy. The pow- er transmission sector is an essential pre-requisite for linking the expanding power generation capacities with the consumers and end users. The power transmission sector plays a key role as The construction and commissioning of transmission projects worth more than Rs 5,000 crore are currently delayed due to ROW issues. Linear projects like transmission have little leeway in negoti- ating ROW, forest, wildlife, defence, airport, coastal zone etc. and are therefore heavily depen- dent on active government support. The tight execution timelines further amplify this challenge and complexity. Unavailability of ROW clearances is consequently affecting the construction schedule of these critical transmission projects andwill impact project completion timelines, shares Vijay Chhibber , Director General of Electric Power Transmission Association (EPTA), in an exclusive conversation with Manu Tayal , Associate Editor, Energetica India. Chhibber also discussed about the significance of power transmission sector in India’s road towards $5 trillion economy, impact of Covid-19 on upcoming projects, challenges faced by private players, expectation fromGovt etc. 16 energetica INDIA- Jan-Feb_2021 INTERVIEW “It is necessary to boost infrastructure financing and encourage regional collaboration in power sharing”