Lack of grid connectivity hampering power generation in Arunachal Pradesh

OUR CORRESPONDENT

ITANAGAR: Non-availability of grid connectivity is the prime reason for which the Department of Hydropower Development (DHPD) in Arunachal Pradesh could not generate maximum power from the State-owned micro, mini and small hydro projects which are under operations.

This was observed during a review meeting of the department conducted on Wednesday to discuss about the modalities to be adopted for improvement of power generation from the State-owned hydro projects.

It was reported that the department could not generate its maximum capacities of power due to various reasons, including paucity of sufficient fund for undertaking minor and major repairing, restoration and maintenance works on time.

The department presented a power point presentation with detailed interactions on revenue generated from the State-owned micro and mini hydropower plants with present status of all the plants and the areas where special attention is required from the Government to ensure its optimum power generation proportionate to the available potentials and capacities of the projects.

Power Chief Engineer (Western Zone) elaborated on the status of carbon credits registration, informing that a total of 98 mini, micro and small hydropower plants of the State with installed capacity of 50.295 MW have been qualified and registered under Universal Carbon Registry in the first phase.

In the second phase, a third-party auditing and verification is being carried out and would be completed by the end of this month and in the third phase, trading of the carbon credits in the India's multi commodity exchange would start by May 31 next, he said.

"It is expected that revenue out of this process would be around Rs 1.15 crore per annum. The carbon credit is a right to emit a measured amount of green-house gas in the atmosphere," he added.

Power and Hydropower advisor Balo Raja in his address suggested for achieving the target of completion of all the projects under renovation and modernization, besides the projects announced under Golden Jubilee Border Village Illumination program.

"In the first phase, a total of 17 micro and mini hydel projects of various capacities were sanctioned with financial assistance from NABARD to provide access of reliable power to the villagers, the real warriors residing all along the international borders, as part of various initiatives of the present government to improve the quality of lives of the people living in the borders," Raja informed.

He added that a coordination meeting with the power and hydropower departments would be convened on April 29 to resolve all such issues of under drawal power, T&D links and grid connectivity, in the better interest of the State, wherein both commissioners of power and hydropower, secretary (hydropower) and all the chief engineers, superintendent engineers and other concerned officers of both the departments would take part, an official communiqué informed here.

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