While the Indian power generation sector has successively missed its targets (often twice revised in a Five Year Plan period), the next 36 months is all set to witness a revolution of sorts, with almost 50,000 MW slated to come on line from the private sector alone. The industry will be waiting with bated breath. In Green Ahead, we focus this month on the  techno-economic feasibility of biomass. While India has relied on biomass as a fuel for millennia now,in the face of a looming and imminent situation of energy crisis, we need to explore three diff erent aspects to harnessing biomass energy – enhancing energy effi ciency, improving fuel processing technologies and ensuring a steady fuel supply chain. With these three parameters in place, biomass could actually position itself as the fuel of choice, especially for powering rural India. The Nuclear Watch section this month attempts to track the almost amazing pace of growth that the nuclear industry in India seems to be witnessing lately. We have the second most ambitious nuclear agenda on the planet - ramping up nuclear generation capacity to 20 GWe over the next 10 years. It will be imperative for the industry to associate with the right international partners. On the part of the government, it will be necessary to create the right policy environment to foster this growth. We could really do without another nuclear tussle – whether over the NPT or a rather myopic Civil Nuclear Liabilities Bill. The regular sections are right there. Wish you all a pleasant and informative read.

Almost 50,000 MW is slated to come on line in the next 36 months from the private sector alone.

We could really do without another debate over our nuclear agenda.

Saptarshi R Dutta
Editor