Advocacy to advance the development of power sector
NERPC Chairman and Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein chaired the 25th North Eastern Regional Power Committee (NERPC) meeting here in West Bengal on Saturday.
The meeting, organised and hosted by the NTPC Ltd and the NERPC secretariat, addressed critical issues in the power sector, focusing on the challenges and opportunities for progress in the region.
During the session, Mein highlighted the significance of collective efforts toward a more promising and sustainable future in the power industry. The discussions resulted in crucial decisions aimed at advancing the growth of the power sector in the northeastern region, ensuring consistent electricity supply and enhancing the standard of living of the residents.
The DCM enumerated key initiatives, including “mock black start exercises aligned with IEGC-2023,” showcasing a commitment to power sector preparedness.
Proactive measures, such as installation of surge arresters and reconductoring of transmission lines to high-temperature low sag, were underscored in his speech.
Mein announced the finalisation of the Guwahati islanding scheme, planned by the NERPC under the union power ministry’s directive. He urged the stakeholders to “expedite the implementation of this scheme and explore the feasibility of similar islanding schemes for other NE state capitals.”
He expressed gratitude to the power ministry “for approving full funding, covering 100 per cent of the costs, for the supervisory control and data acquisition/ energy management systems upgradation across all state load dispatch centres in the NE states.”
This significant project, with an estimated budget of approximately Rs 80 crore per state, marks a substantial advancement in bolstering the power infrastructure of the region.
Addressing the challenges in commissioning hydropower projects, Mein encouraged project developers to “adopt innovative and environment-friendly designs, aligning with India’s non-fossil energy capacity targets.”
He commended the Arunachal government “for signing MoUs for the development of 12 hydropower projects with the NHPC, the SIVN, and the NEEPCO, marking a commendable stride toward realising the country’s energy goals.”
Recognising the unique challenges of the NE region, including geographical constraints and adverse weather conditions, Mein highlighted the revamped distribution sector schemes, aimed at reducing aggregate technical and commercial losses, and urged the distribution companies and state governments to “prioritise settling outstanding bills for sustainable business operations.”
He also initiated the formation of the Power Ministers’ Forum for North Eastern Region “for effective persuasion of issues in the power sectors in the region.”
The meeting was attended by power ministers of all Northeast states, Nandita Gorlosa (Assam), Abu Taher Mondal (Meghalaya), Ratan Lal Nath (Tripura), KG Kenye (Nagaland), Arunachal’s power department adviser Balo Raja, NERPC Member Secretary Kishore B Jagtap, NTPC Ltd Finance Director Jaikumar Srinivasan, officers of the central and state governments, and representatives from central and state power utilities.
