NEEPCO to add 800 MW power to NE
Assam Tribune: Tuesday 4th August 2009
SHILLONG, Aug 4 (PTI): The North Eastern Electric Power Corporation
(NEEPCO) said it was hopeful of adding another 800 MW of power to the
North East by 2013.
Work on the Pare Hydroelectric Project in Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura GasBased Project (100 MW each) is expected to start within a month’s time,
while the 600 MW Kameng project in Arunachal, which is under construction,
is scheduled to be completed by December 2012, the company’s new
chairman cum managing director I P Barooah told PTI.
Currently the power company, dedicated to the north eastern region, has a
production capacity of 1,130 MW through its projects in the region, but the
drought-like condition has hit power generation in the hydro-electric plants.
Official records say, the projects were able to generate 1,555 million units
of power till August 2 this financial year compared to 2,047 mu in the
corresponding period last year.
Due to the decrease in rainfall and other factors, NEEPCO has been able to
generate about 960 MW on an average as against the installed capacity of
1,130 MW in its projects across the region for the last few years.
Barooah said the Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs (CCEA) has given its
clearance for the Pare and TGBP projects. “We are placing orders for a civil
package for the Pare project within this month, while negotiations are on with
BHEL for acquiring the equipments for the Tripura project,” the CMD
informed.
Once the three projects, including the Kameng Project where 40 per cent
work is complete, are commissioned by 2013, the region would get an
additional 800 MV power.
To a query on the controversy over floods in Upper Assam which is often
blamed on to the water release from NEEPCO projects, the CMD clarified that
the projects instead, reduced the extent of flood and damage by maintaining
the full reservoir in the Ranganadi Project.
Stating that excess water has to be released in a regulated manner, Barooah
said the North Eastern Space Application Centre has developed a flood alert
system which has been installed in the hydro-electric projects like Ranganadi
and Kopili.
This can give an alert 24 hours in advance and has proved effective in
cautioning the district administration to prepare whenever there was a need
to release water from the dams, the CMD added.