SHILLONG, April 26: Meghalaya’s power sector, which is in shambles, is likely to trouble citizens with the ongoing load-shedding till the advent of the monsoon as many of the state’s generating units remain non-functional at present due to prolonged the dry spell.
As the state reels under the discomfort of load-shedding, respite is nowhere near in sight as the government has made it clear that the load-shedding is unlikely to end soon.
Power Minister Abu Taher Mondal on Wednesday admitted that the power situation in the state will not improve unless there is relief from monsoon.
He told reporters that the rain this year has been erratic unlike previous years when the state received rainfalls even during February and March. He said while there is scanty rainfall in the state, many areas in neighbouring states are receiving good rainfalls.
“It is only yesterday that we got some quality rain but this is not enough,” Mondal said.
He said the Leshka Hydroelectric Power Project has been shut down as there is no water. The storage capacity even in Umiam has gone down, he said.
“The water level in Umiam was around 3,700 feet when I had reviewed it last. The water level has kept receding. It is still okay but we may have to shut down the hydroelectric plant if the water level continues to dip further,” Mondal said.
He said they are taking all steps possible to minimize the duration of load shedding.
“But we will have to wait for the monsoon to get complete relief from load shedding,” Mondal said, adding the department is buying power but it cannot go beyond a limit.
“Power is not available and the rate is very high,” he said.
He said the state’s share of power from various power projects has also gone down due to various factors.
Recently Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong had also termed the situation as difficult and unfortunate, and had explained that two-three units of NEEPCO have not been functioning for a month which is causing disruption in power supply.
MeECL Managing Director Sanjay Goyal had recently expressed hope that the power scenario would improve after the monsoon.
He had pointed out that MeECL is losing Rs 3 for every unit purchased to address the shortfall in power availability in the state.
The purchase of power at Rs 8 per unit is, however, unlikely to provide respite to the people anytime soon.
The MeECL is purchasing power at Rs 8 per unit but supplying it to the consumers at a lesser rate. This has made the corporation lose about Rs 3 per unit, Goyal had said.
The MeECL chief had also stated that the state is receiving about 170 MW of power against a demand of roughly 250 MW. The state gets power from its own gencos (generating companies) and generating units in the central sector.
Blaming the current dry spell for impacting the generating units in Meghalaya, he had said the Myntdu-Leshka Hydro Electric Project (MLHEP) is not functioning due to the shortage of water while Umiam is getting shallower fast as the government is using its water to compensate for the loss from MLHEP.
Earlier in the day, a Joint Action Committee (JAC), comprising Meghalaya People’s Social Organisation (MPSO) Ri-Bhoi, Meghalaya People’s United Front and Ri Bhoi Youth Organisation, met Mondal to highlight the issue of erratic power supply and unscheduled load shedding in Ri Bhoi district.
MPSO Ri-Bhoi president LM Wanniang said the load shedding situation in the district is very bad. There is no fixed timing for load shedding and the power supply has been also erratic, she said.
Mondal assured the JAC that he will hold a meeting with the officials of the department to review the power scenario in Ri Bhoi. He also assured that the government would try to resolve all the issues highlighted.
