Hyderabad|India|February'2009: Today, Geophysics has come to occupy a central position on the global horizon. It is due to increasing need for materilas and natural resources to keep pace with the rapid pace of development across the globe. One of the key requirements to keep the engines of growth is new energy sources. The Oil and gas industry is at the crossroads today. A road that streteches from the sands to the deep seas. Geophysicists have shown great insight in exploring hydrocarbons in every part of the world and under every possible hazard.

In this light of background Association of Exploration Geophysicists, a non profit body founded in 1974 in Osamania Universty by late Shri M.B. Ramchandra Rao, the doyen of exploration geophysics, is now organising two day Seminar and Exhibition on Exploration Geophysics on February 5th and 6th here in city at Hote Green Park. The special theme of the Seminar is "Energy Security--Exploration for Non-Fossil Fuels".

Giving details, Prof. Y. Sreedhar Murthy, Secretary of Associaiton of Exploration Geophysicists said the exhibition will be inaugurated at 9.30am by Dr. Anjan Chaki, Director of Atomic Minerals Directora for Exploration and Research. Seminar will be inaugurated at 10am by Shri M. Gopala Krishna, a retired IAS Officer, distinguished administrator and erudite scholar. Mr. P.S. Upadhyaya, Vice President of Association of Exploraiton Geophysicists will preside over the meeting.

Over the next two days 250 delegates from all over India and abroad will discuss on verarious subjects such as "Secure and Sustainable Energy scenarios for 21st Century: Role of Non-Fossil sources in India", "Airborne Geophusics: Past, Present and Future", "Subsurface Uranium Exploration: Geological and Geophysical Approach--A case study", "Role of Physicists in Exploration as well as Exploitation of Uranium Mines" etc and others. Many subject experts from distinguished organisations are expected to speak on verious subjects.

India faces an unenviable task of providing acceptable standards of living for a growing population which expected to be around 1.5 billion by 2050. Per capita consumption of electrical energy is one of the key indicators for the livelihood standards in any country. India with 638 kWh consumption per capita per annum is in the lowest side of the spectrum, with the world average at 2596 kWh and developed countries consuming as high as 10,000 kWh. Considerable capacity addition and power generation by a factor of 10 is thus warranted to elevate the per capita electricity consumption in India to required levels of about 5000 kWh. The demand for electricity exceeded by 15% over supply in 2007. Attention also needs to be focused on the critical requirement of meeting this electrical energy demands from reliable, sustainable and secure targets. This can be realized only if a large scale infusion of non-fossil sources could be made possible.

India presently has an installed capacity of 145,627 MWe with a generation of about 704 billion kWh electricity during 2007. This has to be increased to somewhere near 7500 billion Kwh per annum by 2050. India has an ambitious "Power for all by 2012" vision which envisages an installed capacity of 200,000 MWe by 2012. This is projected to increase to 1,344,000 MWe by 2050. It is essential that the supply has to come from reliable and secure sources, with acceptable economic and environmental costs.

The present electrical energy portfolio of India is heavily dominated by fossil fuels(63.3%) with coal(53%), gas (10.1%) and oil(0.8%), whereas non fossil sources such as hydro-power(24.9%), renewables--mainly wind energy(7.7%) and nuclear(2.8%) occupy the remaining space. The major sectoral consumbers of electricity are industry (45.13%), domestic(21.10%) and agriculture(19.03%). Some other renewable, non-fossil sources such as tidal, geoghermal and bio-diesel have negligible presence in India. Coal, by virtue of large resources present in India, occupies the foremost position.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Semianr Prof Sreedhar Murthy, organising secretary informed the response to the seminar was overwhelming may be due to the fact that it is being organised in the city where Association on Exploration of Geophysicists was born. The institutional participants from India include Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Oil India Ltd, National Mineral Development Corporation, Geological Survey of India, National Geophysical Research Institute, Central Ground Water Board, National Institute of Oceanography, Universities teaching Earth Sciences and other organisations engaged in exploration will be sharing their experiences during the seminar.

Reachout's News Bureau
 February' 2009