NONGPOH, March 28: Power Minister Prestone Tynsong, on Monday, apprised a delegation of Power Ministers of the Northeastern states along with the higher management of various central and state power utilities in the region, of Meghalaya’s plans that aim to avoid shortage of power supply in the state and all in all provide a boost to the power sector.
This transpired during the 22nd North East Regional Power Committee (NERPC) meeting held under the Ministry of Power, Government of India and aegis of NEEPCO, in Guwahati, Assam, on Monday.
The 22nd edition of the meeting was held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister of Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio, who said that the forum of NERPC is best suited for deliberation and fruitful resolution of inter-regional issues concerning the power sector.
Matters in regard to the North East Region Power System Improvement Project (NERPSIP) of Government of India, expansion of transmission networks, expansion of reliable communication, development of hydro plants etc., were discussed in the meeting.
The NERPC meet chairman has urged the member states of Northeastern region to utilise the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) to strengthen the distribution network and capacity building of discoms & Power departments.
Stating that NER is blessed with huge hydro potential, which needs to be harnessed, convener and member secretary of NERPC meet, B Lyngkhoi, informed the meeting that high-scale upgrade in the transmission networks is necessary for evacuation of hydro power from the region.
Technical issues were initially taken up in the Technical Coordination Committee (TCC) meeting of NER, which was held under the chairmanship of Penrithung Yanthan, Chief Engineer (T&G), Department of Power, Nagaland, on Saturday.
The recommendations of the TCC have been referred to NERPC forum for final ratification/approval.
Along with other matters of discussion, the upcoming CERC/CEA regulations were highlighted to the members of the forum.
