SHILLONG: Regulation of power supply to the State by North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO) is the main cause for load-shedding in the city, says an expert in the field.
Speaking to The Shillong Times on condition of anonymity, the expert claimed that non-payment of dues to NEEPCO by the State Government had resulted in the regulation in power supply.
“Power availability took a hit due to the regulation (of supply of power) since April. Besides, the reservoirs like Umiam and Leshka are not full due to less rain this time and cannot generate power as per the demand,” the expert said.
The State Government has to pay an amount of Rs 707 crore to NEEPCO for the 151 mw of power the PSU was supplying to Meghalaya.
“Why is the MeECL not able to clear the dues of NEEPCO despite collecting bills from customers every month,” the expert said.
Sources said the State Government is exploring ways to generate resources to clear the dues of NEEPCO and it sounds confident of arriving at a solution in a month or two.
‘Problem in distribution, not generation’
The expert added that the problem in Meghalaya does not lie in the generation of power but its distribution. “It is a well-known fact that Meghalaya generates only 50 per cent of the power consumed in the State while the other half has to be purchased from different sources and entities,” the expert added.
The expert also said that MeECL cannot fully utilise the available water at Umiam since the water has to be reserved for future.
“It is good that MeECL has resorted to load-shedding now for half an hour daily or else a situation might have arrived where they would have been forced to resort to for 5-6 hours of power cuts every day,” the expert said.
