SHILLONG, Dec 24: Efforts to ameliorate Meghalaya’s power sector, which has taken severe hits in the past, are under way as attempts are being made to improve the capacity of the distribution sector and reduce the Aggregate Technical & Commercial (AT&C) and transmission and distribution (T&D) losses.
In addition, an action plan has also been prepared to turn Meghalaya’s power sector round by 2025.
The Meghalaya Power Distribution Sector Improvement Project is being implemented with a project cost of Rs 1,250 crore to improve the capacity of the distribution sector and reduce the AT&C and T&D losses.
Some of the interventions that have been taken up as part of the project includes construction of 24 new and 45 augmentation of 33/11 KV substations, addition of new and renovation of 11KV & 33KV lines, including installation of fault passage indicators and auto reclosers for reducing the outages time.
Implementation of smart meters for 1.8 lakh consumers and enhancement of the institutional capacity of Meghalaya Power Distribution Corporation Limited (MePDCL) also fall under the project.
It may be mentioned that the per-capita annual power consumption in Meghalaya currently stands at 832 kWh, which is significantly lower than the national average of 1,122 kWh.
Given the dispersed nature of settlements and harsh climatic conditions, providing electrical connectivity to all the settlements had been a challenge and now the government is augmenting its power generation, which currently stands at about 620 MW.
The availability and consumption of quality uninterrupted power supply are directly linked to human development, agricultural productivity and industrial output. Another major challenge that the government had been facing was the dues that had been pending for a very long time. These led to frequent power cuts and load-shedding.
In this regard, the government has also mobilised funding to the tune of Rs. 1,345 crore to clear these liabilities.