SHILLONG, June 9: The state government on Sunday claimed visible progress in the financial health of the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) and efforts are on to improve it further.
“Progress is taking place and further progress will happen. We are working on improving the financial health and the Chief Minister is supporting us so there will not be any problem,” Power Minister AT Mondal told The Shillong Times.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma had earlier said the financial health of the MeECL was one of the biggest challenges for the state government.
Mondal said the state government is exploring all options – thermal, solar, and hydel – to generate sufficient power. “But we do not want to burden the MeECL if we go for new power projects that require huge investment,” he added.
He said the government has been working on utilising solar energy more. “The Health department has gone big in providing solar energy to the sub-stations to provide power to the community PHCs in rural areas where electric connectivity is poor. We will be going for an ambitious project through the CM Solar Mission,” he said.
On thermal power, Mondal said: “We do not feel we should go for it on our own but we can look at it if any private party is interested because energy will be available in our backyard.”
Power generating units operate at full capacity
Mondal also announced that for the first time, all existing power generating units in Meghalaya are functioning at full capacity, addressing the ever-increasing load demand.
“For the first time, all existing generating units are functioning at full capacity, so we are working on it. Our transmission lines, as far as possible, remain intact, and we will further increase our transmission lines to reduce the burden on particular lines,” Mondal told The Shillong Times.
Looking ahead, Mondal highlighted plans to implement new generation units within the state to meet future load demands internally. “As days go by, demand is increasing due to the rise in appliance usage. In the future, we aim to generate enough power within the state to meet this demand,” he said.
He noted that the advent of electric vehicles has significantly contributed to the increased load demand. “This year, the highest load demand in the country was in May. It’s not just Meghalaya facing this problem; other states are also experiencing similar issues,” he remarked.
When asked about the specific demands in Meghalaya, Mondal explained, “Currently, we are facing demands from domestic users who charge their vehicles at home. We haven’t seen significant demand from outstation vehicles coming to Shillong yet. However, it was earlier decided that if such a demand arises, it will be managed by the power grid. If necessary, we will create charging stations in Shillong.”
