By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 11: The decade-long ban on coal mining in Meghalaya is showing environmental gains, at least for the reservoir of the 275 megawatt Kopili Hydro Electric Project located along the Assam-Meghalaya border.
The ban on illegal coal mining in Meghalaya in 2014 has helped improve the acidic level in the reservoir of the Kopili power plant, designed in 1955, less than two decades before the state was carved out of Assam.
Assam and Meghalaya get 6% of free power from the project.
The first power house of the project was commissioned in 1984. The project was running fine until 2006, when the water in its reservoir started to turn acidic.
“It damaged our turbine and other underwater parts. We started taking precautions and used stainless steel for the parts, as it has resistance to the unique phenomenon of acidic water,” NEEPCO Executive Director Jayanta Sharma told reporters during a visit of media persons to Kopili.
He stated that the acidic level earlier was 3 to 3.5 (on the pH scale), which has now increased to 5-5.5 due to the closure of illegal coal mines in Meghalaya and the measures undertaken by NEEPCO.
It is believed that the improvement has had a positive effect on the vegetation and aquatic life in the reservoir.
Earlier, officials said that the northeastern region has a huge hydropower potential. They said hydro projects last longer and are more sustainable than solar and wind power projects.
NEEPCO is now also focusing on developing more projects through pumped storage hydro, a large-scale energy storage system that acts like a giant rechargeable battery, using two reservoirs at different elevations to store excess electricity (pumping water up) and generate power when needed.
The officials also said that the Kopili power project has helped Umrangso become a vibrant town, attracting many tourists.
They further said that NEEPCO recruits staff largely from the northeastern states, and its all-India placements are for executive jobs only.
