Power industry in India

Indian power industry is going through a tremendous change. Multiple projects are in final planning stages, creating a number of opportunities in this industry. As Indian government continues to strengthen its commitment on "Power for all by 2012", installed capacity is set to increase to 2 Lac MW in next 4 years.

Most power generation plants in India use fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gases which are depleting rapidly. Of late, there has been increasing use of renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind, and bio-fuels. Here is a snapshot of installed capacity in various power plants as of 2007 -

Thermal: India's thermal power stations mostly utilize steam and gas turbine sources. About 2/3rd of total power is generated using this method.

Hydroelectric: More than 1/4th of total power is produced through this source today. Given India's rich heritage in water resources, there is a huge potential to generate hydroelectric power in future.

Renewable energy: Present installed capacity of wind and solar sources add up to 5% of total installed base.

Nuclear: Currently 17 nuclear power reactors produce more than 4,000 MW power which comes to around 3.1% of total installed base. In coming decade, use of nuclear technology is projected to increase by 4-5 times.

Manpower challenges

Among manpower challenges faced by power industry, migration and work environment stand out as the most prominent issues.

Migration

Migration is one of the key issues that any new power plant must address. As power plants are typically set up at remote locations away from urban population, developing a migration plan for existing inhabitants at the plant site becomes both vital and essential. Less attention to this often results into political and social overtones that could potentially jeopardize on-schedule completion of the plant.

Once the plant is set up, next challenge is to have most of the senior and project management staff re-located near the plant site. A lot of companies factor in a residential township adjacent to the plant right from the drawing-board planning stages. In addition to housing, some of the common concerns that early staff members have are - availability of civic and social facilities like police protection, transportation, hospitals, schools, shops and entertainment areas.

Work environment

One of the other issues faced by this industry is hazardous work environment. Carefully planned infrastructure can help a plant being looked at as a safe and hazardless place to work. This also increases the confidence among workforce which in turn results in more productivity and efficiency in the final output.

Employment attributes in Power industry

• Organized and well cut-out job descriptions
• Opportunity to use world-class machinery and equipments
• Living away from active urban lifestyle
• Job stability
• Work in shifts and overtime
• Frequent use of emergency response skills: decision making, situation assessment, teamwork, and stress management

Individuals whose interests resonate with these attributes should seriously consider pursuing a career in power sector. Based on the installed capacity projections in near future, this sector would offer numerous employment opportunities to millions.

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