In order to emphasize the power generating capabilities of the developing countries and to ensure continued progress in the energy sector, AESIEAP CEO conference and exhibition-2005 was organized by Council of Power Utilities. The conference was held at the Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi, from the 28^th  to 30^th September of 2005. The theme of the meet was ‘Financing and Management of Energy Resources for sustainable quality of life’. The event attracted delegates from all over the world as well as from the Asian subcontinent. Around 230 delegates mostly CEOs & Senior Executives from over 17 countries attended this event. The conference had historic significance because it was for the first time that four Presidents of international organizations dealing with power shared a common platform to voice their concerns and express their opinions on various issues related to energy.

The event began with a welcome address by Ms.Tanushree Sharma, a student of St.Francis De Sales School. The CEO’s Conference is now being held in India for the first time. “What you discuss and what you decide will have a great impact on the future and on us. On behalf of the Children, who are the future citizens, I welcome you to India. Ms.Sharma had the honour of welcoming the delegates in 1998 as well. The Participation of a student in this meet is significant because it represents the views of the youth in matters of importance which affect the everyday lives of the people. It not only signifies their continued interest but also symbolizes the joint efforts of the present as well as the future generations in the task of energy conservation and promotion of better standards of living.

After the welcome address, Mr.C.V.J.Varma, President of AESIEAP, declared the Conference open and on his part thanked all the delegates for their participation in the event especially, the Hon’ble Union Minister of Power and the three Presidents of the International organizations whose role was invaluable.

The occasion was graced by the presence of the Union Minister of Power, Shri. P.M.Sayeed  who inaugurated the conference. It was presided over by Mr.Ajay Shankar, Addl. Secretary (Power). In his address the Union Minister highlighted the importance of such a meet and lent his active support for the same. He said that the timing of the conference was ‘opportune’ as it was taking place amidst soaring oil prices and therefore the need to contemplate alternate sources and ensure future supply.

The meet gave an opportunity for the representatives of Asia and the Pacific region to discuss and raise questions of immediate importance with regard to the growing energy consumption levels in these regions. The limited availability of fossil fuels and hydrocarbons make it imperative to take recourse to other renewable resources. Wind, hydro, geothermal as well as solar energy can be used to counter the deficiency in the power sector to some extent. Amongst the renewable resources hydropower was given considerable importance for its economic viability.

Mr.Andre Caille, Chairman, World Energy Council, pointed out that technology and know-how must be harnessed to develop individual indigenous resources. He recommended that in order to ensure and secure energy access to all, all energy options must be kept open. No technology can be idolized or demonized’. He said that energy access can be provided in a more efficient manner through Integration stated that the WEC’s plan for 2005-2006 aims for the provision of a Regional Action Plan in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. The Action Plans would bring out energy issues and provided regional forums and workshops to discuss them.

Mr.Yves Fillion, President of CIGRE, stressed that sustainable development could only take place by making critical energy choices and by using technology. The major requirement to meet this challenge would be that of investment. He said that the investment levels can be as high as $185 billion in the developing world and would require transparency for better efficiency. He suggested that better transmission facilities would reduce the need for greater generation of power. Among the problems facing better transmission are aging of infrastructure, difficulty in building a new and need for greater capacity and efficiency. A plausible solution to this problem would be better use of existing facilities and integration of energy and communication. He also spoke about the development taking place in the sphere of wind energy.

Many of the delegates pointed out the challenges facing their own countries and described the steps being taken in order to counter these problems. The delegates used the opportunity to compare the progress being made in other nations and this allowed them to critical analyze their own performance. But above all the conference showed a unity amongst the developing powers in terms of the common challenges they faced. At the same time the different approaches to tackle these concerns allowed them to learn from this experience.

Cassio B. Viotti, President of ICOLD, described the growth of dams in the Brazillian context and the consequent influence on the life of the people. In his words ‘they have provided a significant harnessing of water that would otherwise run into the seas and also provided a very significant protection from floods’. He attributes the development of Brazil to the increasing number of dams in the country and the use of hydropower.

Mr.Shingo Matsuo, President of KEPCO, Japan, spoke about the liberalization of the Electric power market in Japan.

The two giants of electric power in the Asia are India and China. The President of China Electricity Council, Mr.Zhao Xizheng, in his address spoke about the development which has been taking place in China over the past few decades. Inspite of the high energy consumption levels and environment pollution which plagues China as well as other developing countries he remains optimistic of China’s strategy of development. According to him it conforms to the pattern of ‘new industrialization’ which gives importance to the conservation of energy and sustainable economic development. He said that it was important to give primacy to energy conservation and to improve energy utilizing efficiency.

The Secretary General of CIGRE, Mr.Jean Kowal, Quoting statistics from the International Energy Agency (IEA), said the ‘some 1.6 billion people have no access to electricity today. It is said that by the present trend 1.4 billion will still be in the same position by 2030.

He also described the immediate correlation between electricity and technology amongst various classes. In his opinion there are three outstanding problems faced by the power Industry viz. political, technical and financial problems. Political dimension indicates the responsibility of nations to explain to its citizens the need to conserve energy and the significance of this sector. He felt that with respect to electricity the 3A’s are important i.e.: Available, acceptable and Affordable electricity. Technologically, the control over nuclear power, improvement in transmission infrastructures such as Gas insulated lines as well as improvement in control capabilities of systems and above all increasing electrical efficiency is important. Much has to be done to in the financial sphere as well.

Mr.H.L.Bajaj, a member for the Appellate tribunal for Electricity brought out the urgency arising from the over use of scarce resources such as oil and coal and laid emphasis on the need of developing Countries especially to find alternate means to drive their economies.

India primarily depends for electricity on resources such as coal, Gas and Hydro potential. Mr.L.V.Nagarajan, the Managing Director of Karnataka Power Corporation Limited, said that from the 241 billion tones of coal reserve of India about 265 million tones would be used up in the current year itself. He pointed out the shortage of coal in India and the growing dependence on imports for the same. This imported coal if not blended economically could lead to excessive electricity costs. In order to counter this situation he suggested that the India should follow the likes of China and other countries and acquire coal mines abroad. He referred to the environmental benefits of gas and water as well; however, he said that the stability of supply and the costs incurred must be constant.

Shri Ashok K. Puri, CMD  BHEL, also spoke about the future fuel options in which he too emphasized the fact that even though coal was going to remain the predominant fuel yet, he said, that the use of natural gas, oil and hydropower was on the rise. The cause of wind, solar and nuclear energy was espoused by Mr.A.K.Dhagat, IEEMA & MD, Areva T & D Ltd. who also spoke about the management and finance of these resources.

Mr. Chandan Roy,  Director (Operations), National Thermal Power Corporation Limited made a significant contribution to the meet by expressing his opinions about the scenario of the power sector in India.

Mr.Hadi Deros, Deputy CEO, Tenage Nasional Berhad (TNB), Malaysia, spoke about the power development taking place in the Asia in general and gave an insight of the development taking place in Malaysia in particular.

His address was followed by that of Ms. Alison Bartle, Director, Aqua-Media International. In her speech she emphasized the role of Hydro Power in the socio-economic sphere in the past and the role it can assume in the future as well. While quoting figures she pointed out the disparity between the electricity consumption in the industrialized countries to that of the less developed countries. Hydropower has made a significant contribution to the economic development in most of the industrialized nations. For e.g.: New Zealand, Switzerland, Norway etc. She reported that the developing world was taking a keen interest in expanding their hydro power schemes. However it is the under developed countries which are suffering the most as a result of the inefficiency in tapping water resources which are abundant in most of these nations. While reiterating the importance of Hydro power she pointed out the energy schemes can also play a crucial part  in reduction of poverty, empowerment of women who are involved in collection of water, reducing child, mortality rates and combating diseases like Malaria. Besides these benefits, hydropower also has the advantage over other resources because it does not pollute the water that is used. Morever many global partnerships have been embarked upon owing to the use of hydropower such as The Nile Basin Initiative.

Mr. Yogender Prasad, Vice President, IHA, also laid stress on the potential of hydropower. He said that it is a clean fuel and is therefore environment friendly. Not only is it suited to meet peaking requirement but also helps in management of water for consuming and irrigation. It would ensure development in inaccessible areas by keeping costs to the minimum. In his address he effectively portrayed the need for better use of this resource.

Mr.Philip Higginson, Chairman, Transgrid, Australia, said that the transmission, sector faced the challenge of balancing cost with reliability. In his opinion reliability should be given greater importance because transmission failures are often devastating. He suggested that the achievement of ‘operational efficiency’ and ‘investment prudence’ could alone help realize optimum outcomes. Mr.Li Yanmeng, State Grid Corporation of China, traced the challenges facing the power grid in China and its progress after implementation of various technologies. Technology was an aspect which was taken up by Dr. Udo Niehage, President, Power T&D Group SIEMENS Germany, as well. He said that while most of the present technologies would remain predominant yet they will be customized and developed to accommodate lower costs and higher reliability.

Both Dr.G.D. Gautama, The Principal Secretary (IT) of GOWB, as well as Mr. Awadh B.Giri, CMD of UAJVNL, highlighted India’s position in the energy sector. While the former pointed out the targets that the country has already achieved in the past and those that it will achieve in the future, the latter described the role of Hydropower in achieving these goals.

Mr.Glenn Whaley, Director (EEE), USAID spoke about the pivotal role of education and the importance of the same in the task grooming the youth to cope with the greater needs of the future. Over the period of the conference many delegates presented their views on the subject at hand. Mr.Anjani Agarwal, Partner & Leader, Ernst & Young summed up the two days proceedings.  

Mr. R.V.Shahi, Secretary (Power) delivered valedictory address. He stressed on the significance of Hydro potential Development. The conference concluded with a spectacular cultural programme highlighting India’s rich heritage and traditional grandeur. The quest for an ideal solution to the world’s requirement of power will turn a new chapter at CEPSI 2006, from the 6-10 November, in Mumbai, India.

Inaugural by Sh. P. M. Sayeed, Union Minister, Govt. of India

Session I- Energy Resources- Policy Issue

Chairman

Mr.C.V.J.Varma

Co-Chariman

Mr.Jean Kowal

Session II - Sourcing of fuel Supplies for the Future Energy

Chairman

Mr.L.V.Nagarajan

Chairman

Mr.Ajay Shankar

Chairman

Mr.H.L.Bajaj

Chairman

Mr.P.Abraham

Co-Chairman

Mr.A.K.Sardana

SESSION V  - Industrial Development , I T & Opportunities
 

Chairman

Mr.A.K.Sah

Co-Chairman

Mr.Jesus P. Francisco

Chairman

Mr.V.K.Garg

Co-Chairman

Mr. J.V.Marcelino

Chairman

Mr.T.N.Thakur

Co-Chairman

Mr.J.P.Chalasani

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