IT to the rescue
TCS will will play its part to help state-owned entities like National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) and Power Grid Corporation upgrade their systems and meet their goals for the 11th Plan period (2007-2012).
What can be done to prevent India from unfailingly missing capacity addition targets year after year and losing a third of the power it generates? The answer may well be with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). India’s largest IT services firm will play its part to help state-owned entities like National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) and Power Grid Corporation upgrade their systems and meet their goals for the 11th Plan period (2007-2012). The Power Ministry recently met and decided to involve TCS to spruce up power infrastructure in the country.
NTPC, along with two other public sector undertakings, Power Finance Corporation and National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), has already put its best foot forward by inking a memorandum of understanding with TCS to set up and operate a national power exchange. The facility will provide an electronic platform for power trading on a day-ahead basis. NTPC CMD R.S. Sharma is upbeat about the tie-up. “We are leaders in power generation while TCS is ahead in IT solutions. We will leverage each other’s strength and develop an efficient exchange,’’ he says. The cooperation between the two may well go beyond the exchange. The coming days, Sharma feels, may witness more areas of collaboration between the two companies.
TCS is looking at the entire power landscape—from equipment manufacture (BHEL) to generation (NTPC, NHPC, state utilities, etc.) to transmission (Power Grid) to distribution (supply companies)—to play a bigger role and bring about a transformation. Says S. Ramadorai, CEO & MD, TCS: “The Power Ministry’s aim is ‘Power for All by 2012’. We are confident we will be able to partner with the ministry and other power utilities, and help the government achieve this in a scheduled timeframe.’’
The software major will help utilities like NTPC scale higher levels of efficiency by strengthening their research & development. It already has a joint initiative, called PowerAnser Lab, with IIT Bombay to develop complex analytical models in transmission. “The TCS flexi-grid framework will help utilities to estimate accurate demand 24x7 and get real-time demand management and load-disruption management capabilities. This will help utilities to not only manage high quality supply but also stop outages and transmission losses,’’ adds Ramadorai.
India has set for itself a capacity addition target of 78,577 MW for the five-year period up to 2012, but could build just 9,283 MW last year against the targeted 16,355 MW. The country can reach its 11th Plan goal only if the generating companies, both state-run and private, can successfully add 69,294 MW over the next four years.
—K. R. Balasubramanyam
TCS Ramadorai: In a mood to empower
TCS is looking at the entire power landscape—from equipment manufacture (BHEL) to generation (NTPC, NHPC, state utilities, etc.) to transmission (Power Grid) to distribution (supply companies)—to play a bigger role and bring about a transformation. Says S. Ramadorai, CEO & MD, TCS: “The Power Ministry’s aim is ‘Power for All by 2012’. We are confident we will be able to partner with the ministry and other power utilities, and help the government achieve this in a scheduled timeframe.’’
The software major will help utilities like NTPC scale higher levels of efficiency by strengthening their research & development. It already has a joint initiative, called PowerAnser Lab, with IIT Bombay to develop complex analytical models in transmission. “The TCS flexi-grid framework will help utilities to estimate accurate demand 24x7 and get real-time demand management and load-disruption management capabilities. This will help utilities to not only manage high quality supply but also stop outages and transmission losses,’’ adds Ramadorai.
India has set for itself a capacity addition target of 78,577 MW for the five-year period up to 2012, but could build just 9,283 MW last year against the targeted 16,355 MW. The country can reach its 11th Plan goal only if the generating companies, both state-run and private, can successfully add 69,294 MW over the next four years.
—K. R. Balasubramanyam
