Meghalaya Seeks Private Investment to Boost Power Generation and Meet Rising Demand

SHILLONG: The Meghalaya government is actively seeking private investment to boost power generation in response to the state's rising electricity demand. Power Minister A T Mondal revealed on Tuesday that the state has rolled out a new power policy to attract private producers for local energy generation. Mondal emphasized, "With the increasing demand, ensuring affordable, locally produced power is crucial."

The state has already allocated a hydel power project to the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO), although progress has been slowed due to ongoing land disputes. "The 85 MW project, tentatively named 'Wah Umiam,' is located between the Shella and Mawsynram constituencies. We are hopeful that the land issues will be resolved soon," Mondal added.

The state will get 12% of the power from the project for free, and 1% will go towards local area development. With electricity demand increasing by 11% each year, Mondal highlighted the need for producing power locally to avoid the high cost of importing it. "We need to ensure we generate power locally to meet this demand," he said.

The Minister said that several companies are already in talks and signing agreements to join the project. He explained that private companies don’t have to sell power to the state, but for bigger projects, there will be a “right of refusal” clause. This means the state can decide not to buy power if it doesn’t need it.

"All the details of the policy are on our website," Mondal said. As the demand for power keeps growing, the Meghalaya government is working to attract investment in the energy sector to avoid future shortages and ensure a stable power supply for the state in the long run.

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