| Author | Sharma, Deepak |
| Call Number | AIT Diss. no.ET-90-3 v.2 |
| Subject(s) | Energy policy--India, North
|
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Engineering, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Planning and implementation of power projects in Northern India has a poor performance record. Big construction time delays and sizable cost overruns are the rule. Time d e lays substantially contribute to electricity shortages. In turn , electricity shortages have significant negative impacts on regional economic performance, notably growth and employment . Cost overruns, on the other hand, very appreciably increase the cost of electricity delivered. Sources and reasons for delays and overruns are identified through an ex- post analysis of projects over the time period 1974-86 . The methodology followed is to juxtapose implementation performance with the ideological and institutional context of planning in India. Analysis reveals that much of the sources of delays and cost overruns lie at the project formulation stages. Deficiencies in the project selection process emerge as the dominant reason. What emerges as the dominant reason, of course , is the outcome of a variety of contributing factors and combinations thereof. Conflicts introduced by institutional interaction, biases induced by national policy considerations, the exigencies imposed by procedural aspects and the absence of any comprehensive decision-making framework to provide redressal for conflicts are major contributory factors, which, combinedly, make delays and overruns almost inevitable. An approach based on principles of decision analysis is introduced. While the approach, in itself, does not reduce or eliminate delays and overruns, it can help to eventually select projects which better adhere to planned times and costs. The practical value of the approach is in terms of its ability to provide a comprehensive frame which induces thinking about the broader issues that typically confront project choices, and also in providing a consistent and defensible basis for analysis. |
| Year | 1990 |
| Type | Dissertation |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Other Field of Studies (No Department) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Energy Technology (ET) |
| Chairperson(s) | Codoni, Rene ;Foell, Wesley K. |
| Examination Committee(s) | Webster, Douglas R. ;Shrestha, Ram M. |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | The Government of Japan |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph.D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1990 |