India is coping with huge energy shortfalls as a growing economy raises demand for power. The government has pledged to cover the gap in five years.
由于国内不断增长的能源需求，印度正在面对一场严重的能源短缺。印度政府希望在五年内解决能源不足的问题。
Temperatures frequently soar above 40 degrees Celsius across the vast plains of India as the summer heat peaks. But for most people, like 54-year-old Renuka Taimni in New Delhi, the sweltering heat is worsened by the frequent power outages.
随着酷暑的到来，印度平原上的气温不时升到摄氏40度以上。对于大多数人来说，夏季的酷热又因为频繁停电而更加难耐。54岁的新德里市民勒努卡.塔姆尼说：
"The frig did not work, the AC does not work, brings life to a standstill, you can't do anything, you just sit waiting for the power to come back," said Taimni.
“冰箱不工作，空调也不工作。生活好像停顿下来。什么也做不了。只能等着来电。”
The situation is equally bad across other big cities such as Kolkata or Mumbai.
在加尔各答和孟买等其他大城市，停电问题同样严重。
And it is much worse in smaller towns and rural areas, where power blackouts can last for more than 12 hours a day. Last month, violent protests erupted across India's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, as long outages left people without fans and even drinking water.
在小一点的城镇和乡村地区，情况就更加糟糕。那里的停电常常持续12个小时以上。上个月，由于长期断电让人们没法使用电风扇和获得饮用水，印度人口最多的北方邦爆发了暴力抗议事件。
Power blackouts have been a regular feature of life in India for many years. But a five-year-long economic boom has intensified these shortages as expanding industries guzzle more power, and a growing middle class can afford more air conditioners, refrigerators and washing machines.
多年来，停电是印度人司空见惯的事情。但是过去五年的经济增长过程中，由于工业扩张对能源需求的增加，以及日益扩大的中产阶级购买了大量的空调、冰箱、洗衣机等家用电器，能源紧张格外严重。
An energy advisor to the Confederation of Indian Industry, V. Raghuraman, says the current power capacity generation is about 14 percent short of demand.
印度工业联盟的能源顾问拉格拉曼说，目前印度的发电量短缺程度高达14%。
"For the last 15-16 years we have not been able to add capacities required. The power-demand supply gap has been actually increasing year after year," said Raghuraman.
他说：“过去的15到16年期间，我们没能增加必要的发电能力。供需差距实际上扩大了。”
The government has promised to change that, and provide power to all by 2012.
印度政府誓言改变这种局面，承诺在2012年为所有人提供充足的用电。
Industry experts like Raghuraman say the situation will improve in the coming years because massive investments are in the pipeline.
像拉格拉曼这样的业内人士指出，由于大量投资已经进入筹备阶段，能源紧张有望在近年内缓解。
"The investments are more than $200 billion say in the next five years … we believe a good amount of capacity will come in the next five to six years," said Raghuraman.
他说：“未来5年的投资超过两千亿美元。我们相信未来五到六年内，发电能力将大大增加。”
The power plants being built by the government are expected to add 70,000 megawatts of power generation. They include thermal and hydroelectric plants.
印度政府修建的发电站预计将把发电量提高七万兆瓦，其中包括水力和热力发电。
The private sector is also making large investments in power projects.
印度的私营企业也对电站工程进行了大笔投资。
However, skeptics fear that many of these projects will face delays, and the gap between demand and supply will continue to grow in the coming years.
但是，持怀疑态度的人士指出，这些工程可能会遭到延误。印度能源供求差距在未来的几年可能会扩大。
But optimists hope the power sector might replicate the success of the telecommunication industry. A decade ago, it could take years to obtain a phone line, but now the privatized industry is one of the fastest-growing in the world.
但是，乐观人士希望印度的电力产业能够重复电信业的成功。10年前，在印度装电话是个旷日持久的过程，但是现在，实行了私有化的印度电信行业是世界上增长最快的行业之一。 |