GUWAHATI: The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi is scheduled to formally dedicate the 60 MW Tuirial Hydro Electric Power Project (HEPP) on Mizoram to the Nation on Saturday. The Prime Minister will also launch ‘MyDoNER App’ and will distribute cheques to the Start-up Entrepreneurs at Aizawl same day.
The Tuirial HEPP has been constructed as a Central Sector Project and implemented by North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO), under the administrative control of the Ministry of Power, Government of India, a government communique said.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) cleared the Project for implementation in July 1998 with commissioning scheduled in July 2006. After completion of about 30% of the project activities, the works were totally suspended w.e.f. June 2004 due to local agitation. With sustained efforts by NEEPCO and with active support of Ministry of Power and Ministry of DoNER, Government of India and Government of Mizoram, the stalled works of the project were resumed in January 2011.
The Project being remotely located, encountered various hindrances ranging from inadequate communication infrastructure to the project site, massive failure of the Power House slopes due to poor soil condition, lack of availability of skilled manpower etc. These factors resulted in comparatively longer gestation period for the project. However, with all efforts from the agencies concerned, the project works were completed successfully, leading to commissioning of Unit-I on 25-08-2017 and Unit-II on 28-11-2017.
The project has been implemented by NEEPCO by engaging M/S Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd for supply and erection of power generating equipment, M/S Patel Engineering Ltd for execution of major civil works and M/S Sew-PES-Tuirial consortium for Hydro-Mechanical works. The Project has been built at a cost of Rs.1302 crore.
The Project is the biggest power project located in the State of Mizoram and will feed the entire energy to be generated to the home State, which will facilitate all-round development of the State and achieving Government of India’s ambitious and flagship Mission ‘24×7 Affordable Clean Power for All’.
The State’s current demand of electricity is only 87 MW and this is being met by State’s mini power projects and availability of its share of power from central sector projects. With the additional 60 MW of electricity from the project, the State of Mizoram will now be the third power-surplus State in North East India after Sikkim and Tripura. Apart from attaining self-sufficiency in electric power, the project will fetch other spin-off benefits to the State of Mizoram like employment generation, navigation, water supply, fishery and wildlife conservation, tourism etc.