SHILLONG, APR 28: Push at the back-foot, the Meghalaya government has mulled a stop-gap arrangement to overcome the present power crisis as it has decided to pay Rs 30 crore to NEEPCO as part of the Rs 300 crore power debts to the power cooperation.
NEEPCO, it is claimed, has agreed to continue power supply within a week’s time after the first payment is made by the state government.
Meghalaya power minister Clement Marak told reporters on Monday, “The government has decided to clear the pending power dues to NEEPCO in a phase-manner to ensure continue power supply to the state.”
Marak held a meeting to discuss measures to tideover the present power crisis that has engulfed the state.
Informing that due to be paid to NEEPCO by the state government is around Rs 300 crore, Marak said, “We are at negotiation stage with the NEEPCO. The power company has agreed to our proposal to make some payment.”
Marak said that once the payment process begins, NEEPCO is expected to continue power supply within a week’s time.
The state has plunged into power crisis as the power cuts have become frequents and longer agitating large section of the people. While load shedding in Garo hills region has been extended to eleven hours, for Shillong the power cut is around nine hours.
Marak, however, assured that load shedding will no longer be for eleven or nine hours as it is likely to be reduced once NEEPCO starts distributing power to the state.
Power department sources informed that the state government initially has agreed to pay Rs 30 crore to NEEPCO.
Stating that daily power requirement in the state is about 270 MW, Marak however informed, “There is a shortfall of power by 87 MW in the state.” The total demand of power in the state is however 610 MW.
NEEPCO had been supplying around 47 mega watt (MW) of power to the state.
Marak informed that the state’s own generation of power is only 30 MW therefore it is heavily relying on other central PSUs – Platana – 30 MW and NTPC – 35 MW apart from NEEPCO to meet the demand in the state.
Meanwhile, the Myntdu Leshka hydro power project was supposed to generate around 126 MWof power, but the project has failed to live up to its expectation.
Admitting the failure of the Myntdu- Leshka power project that was projected to generate 126 MW of power, Marak said, “At present, the Leshka power project is being able to generate only about 6 MW of power and the reason for this is because the project totally depends on rainfall and on top of that the MeECL has failed to include the storage system in its DPR which is quite necessary.”
Marak, however, was quick to add that the project is not a failure as during the peak monsoon season, the Myntdu-Leshka project generates upto 100 MW of power.
On the long term arrangement for power need of the state, Marak said immediate solutions are being workout but at the same time the government is also looking for long term solution by encouraging setting up of more thermal projects in the state.- By Our Reporter
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