By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 31: Power Minister Metbah Lyngdoh has revealed that more than 50% of Meghalaya’s power requirement is sourced from renewable energy, reaffirming the state’s strong commitment to clean and sustainable energy development.
Speaking at the regional workshop on Renewable Energy–North Eastern Zone held in Guwahati on Friday, Lyngdoh said Meghalaya is among the few states in India to have prioritised renewable and green power generation since its inception.
He highlighted that Meghalaya has an estimated hydropower potential of 3,000 MW, along with 80 MW of wind energy and over 1,000 MW of solar potential.
He also informed that the Meghalaya Power Generation Corporation Limited (MePGCL) operates a 100% green portfolio of 367 MW. To further boost the sector, the government has introduced the Meghalaya Power Policy 2024, aimed at harnessing renewable energy potential, attracting private investment, and promoting Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) and joint ventures with Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs).
The power minister then revealed that the State has allotted two small hydro projects with a combined capacity of 37.5 MW and one large hydro project of 270 MW to private developers. The MePGCL has also completed Detailed Project Reports for 12 small hydro projects (totaling 63 MW) proposed to be developed under the PPP model.
Highlighting flagship initiatives, Lyngdoh spoke about the success of the Chief Minister’s Solar Mission, launched in February 2021, which has provided solar hybrid systems with battery backups to 3,500 rural households, 1,609 primary schools, MSMEs, health centres, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and cold storage units. Additionally, more than 10,000 solar streetlights (130 kW cumulative capacity) have been installed, while three solar mini-grid projects (50 kW each) are underway with support from the Asian Development Bank.
Under the PM-KUSUM Scheme (Component B), Meghalaya offers a 45% subsidy on solar pumps, reducing farmers’ contributions to just 5%.
According to the minister, Meghalaya is currently installing 2,000 more solar pumps.
The state government is also actively implementing the PM Suryaghar Muft Bijli Yojana, with subdivision-level targets and awareness campaigns across all 12 districts.
However, Lyngdoh expressed concern that the benchmark cost of rooftop solar systems for Northeastern states—fixed at ₹55,000 per kWp—is unrealistic, as actual costs range between ₹80,000 and ₹85,000 due to challenging terrain and logistics. In this regard, he urged the Union Ministry to revise these rates to reflect ground realities.
The minister further announced that Meghalaya has established India’s first Model Solar Village at Hartall in East Jaintia Hills, featuring virtual net metering—a pioneering step towards decentralised clean energy generation.
He then thanked the Centre for funding under the RDSS Scheme, which will help electrify about 2,500 villages and 55,000 households, bringing the state closer to achieving 100% household electrification.
Calling for the revival of Central Financial Assistance for small hydro projects, Lyngdoh said such support would greatly benefit resource-constrained states with high hydro potential like Meghalaya. Concluding his address, he reiterated Meghalaya’s commitment to India’s Net Zero targets and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
The regional workshop was also attended by Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Prahlad Venkatesh Joshi as the chief guest, along with senior officials from the Ministry and power ministers from all Northeastern states.
