From Our Correspondent
AGARTALA: The full-fledged commissioning of Palatana’s first unit may get delayed with Northeast Power Transmission Company (NEPTC) failing to complete the transmission line from Silchar to Bongaigon (Assam).
Only 300 km transmission line out of 665 km has so far been completed, according to official sources.
The remaining portion of the transmission line, the NEPTC expects to be completed by December.
On October 22, the OTPC with the approval of BHEL engineers operated both gas and steam turbines of the first unit of 726-MW power plant.
However, turbines could not be allowed to turn with full pace as there was no facility to evacuate power more than 60 MW.
OTPC sources said, if twin turbines run with full pace it will produce 363 MW but that will appear a major problem as the power could not be evacuate to National Grid at Bongaigoan.
On the other hand, BHEL engineers are against of running two turbines with limited pace as it may cause harm to them. Now, the OTPC plans to start running turbine only after completion of the transmission line up to the National Grid.
Meanwhile, the OTPC, a subsidiary company of oil major ONGC has already started process to ascertain the power tariff to be generated from the mega power plant.
“A proposed tariff has been placed before the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) for approval, said a top official of OTPC here on Tuesday.
Sources said, the OTPC proposes power tariff of per unit should be Rs. 2.75 per.
However, the CERC will have the final say on the tariff fixation. Initially the estimated cost of the 726 MW power project was envisaged at 3500 crore and later it touches Rs. 7,500 crore.
On October 29, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone for the mega power project to address the power problem not only in Tripura but also in other NE states including Assam and Meghalaya.