Mr KC Venugopal union minister of state for power has called for concerted efforts from all quarters in tapping the power potential of the North Eastern Region. Mr Venugopal addressing the meeting of the Consultative Committee of Members of Parliament for Ministry of Power in Shillong. In the meeting the work of North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited stated that the power sector development in North Eastern Region calls for a further boost and NEEPCO plays a key role in this endeavor.
He stated that the Region is bestowed with immense and un tapped hydro potential, the development of which will help in achieving a better fuel mix in the country. He emphasized that this is very relevant considering the recent problems faced in power generation due to fuel shortages.
Mr Venugopal added that other than hydro, the North Eastern Region is also rich in coal and gas reserves. He said Meghalaya has good coal reserves while Tripura and Assam are blessed with natural gas reserves which is a cleaner fuel. He further stressed that the Region, in the coming years, can become the “Power House of India” and can transform the socio economic conditions of its people while contributing immensely to the development of the nation as a whole.
Elaborating on the work done by NEEPCO in the North Eastern Region, Mr Venugopal said that NEEPCO so far has set up seven Power Stations with a total installed capacity of 1130 MW. He said it contributes to about 50% of the total installed capacity and caters to 60% of the total energy requirement of the Region. The Minister mentioned that NEEPCO is also executing four projects in various States of the Region of which three are hydro projects and one is a gas based thermal project, totaling 871 MW. He said that these Projects are expected to be commissioned during the 12th Plan period. The Minister informed that the Corporation is also taking up the extension of the open cycle 84 MW Agartala Gas Turbine Project by converting it to a combined cycle plant which will enhance the capacity of the plant by another 46 MW totaling 130 MW.
Highlighting the works undertaken by NEEPCO through its Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, Mr Venugopal said that NEEPCO has made significant contributions to the socio economic progress of the Region. He said an amount of INR 3.35 crore has been earmarked for CSR schemes during the year 2011-12. The Minister stated that the Corporation has also adopted a number of ITIs for improvement/ upgradation and has extended scholarships to the meritorious students of the Region for pursuing higher education which will add to the pool of skilled manpower in the Region.
