SHILLONG: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, on Tuesday, laid the foundation stone for the Riangdo Small Hydro Power Project at Suanggre Hamegam village, Shallang in West Khasi Hills, in the presence of Power Minister James Sangma.
The chief minister said that the government will be investing around Rs 30 crore in the project.
The ‘Run of the River’ project is the first power project in the entire West Khasi Hills and once completed will have an installed capacity of 3.00 MW with two units of 1.5 MW each, the Chief Minister’s Office said in a statement.
The project is expected to bring a significant change in the power scenario of the area which frequently suffers from power cuts and perpetual voltage fluctuations.
Lauding the efforts of the Meghalaya Power Generation Corporation Limited (MePGCL), landowners and stakeholders for their cooperation, the chief minister said that the project will bring stability to the supply of electricity in the area which witnesses frequent power disruptions.
“I would like to express my gratitude to all the hard working officials from the MePGCL, the different clans and landowners for their cooperation and the dedication and commitment of our Power Minister. It will not only be a blessing to the villages and the people of the area but also a great boon to the state’s power sector,” the chief minister said.
Meanwhile, the Minister in-charge of Power, James Sangma, in his address, said that Meghalaya has the potential to the generate power to the tune of 3,000 MW, adding that it is up to the state power department to ensure power generating capacity of the state increased.
Stating that the power sector faces a lot of challenges, James said that things are set to improve in the near future. He informed that three new techno-economic clearances have been accorded in the last week to three projects in the state which will increase the installed capacity by additional 30 MW.
“This is a very big achievement for the power department which is moving from strength to strength to ensure that we are once again a power surplus state. Such projects will also bring about a means of increased revenue for our state,” he said.
Others present during the laying of the foundation stone included local MLA Gigur Myrthong, Nongstoin MLA M Byrsat and senior officials and functionaries from MePGCL besides the district administration.
