Shillong, Feb 21: Power minister AT Mondal has apprised the North Eastern Regional Power Committee (NERPC) of the various steps taken by the state government to harness the hydro power potentials in the state.
Addressing the 28th NERPC meeting in Guwahati on Friday, the power minister briefed the committee on the progress of Riangdo Small Hydro Project, DPR preparation for Myndtu Leshka Stage II project, and proposals received from private developers for small hydro projects.
He also apprised the committee of the key schemes/ proposals submitted by state under the Power System Development Fund (PSDF) with respect to transmission, distribution and state load despatch centres (SLDCs).
Stating that these schemes aim at improving system reliability, quality of supply and cyber security, Mondal also urged authorities concerned for early sanction of PSDF for the state.
Emphasising on downstream infrastructure, he requested for fast-tracking of the MePDCL proposal submitted in August 2024 for funding of 33 KV sub-stations for last mile connectivity.
The sub-station was sought to ensure no congestion in distribution system, resulting in availability of 24X7 quality power in the state.
The minister also informed NERPC that the state is committed to having a robust resource adequacy plan in place to ensure that there is no probability of loss of load at any point of time.
Meanwhile, Mondal sought support from the North Eastern states in impressing upon the Central government to revisit the Pumped Storage Policy so that smaller states with potential, but no major peak demand, are benefitted by project in the state.
It was also decided that Meghalaya will be having the chairmanship of NERPC for the financial year 2025-26.
Commissioner and secretary power, Sanjay Goyal, also represented the state at the NERPC meeting.
