Meghalaya expects to close deal on first in-house thermal plant: Goyal

SHILLONG, JUL 3: Meghalaya is weighing proposals for its first in-house thermal power plant while ensuring uninterrupted supply despite reduced hydro generation and likely higher procurement costs, Commissioner & Secretary in charge of Power, Sanjay Goyal, said Friday.

Talks with potential developers are on.

“We are exploring the possibility and we have received some expressions of interest from a few players. I would not say that it is a closed chapter yet,” Goyal said.

He added that current thermal needs are being met through outside tie-ups.

“As far as our procurement is concerned, because of the availability of power from NTPC Bongaigaon, we are okay as far as thermal availability is concerned,” he said.

“But yes, as far as an in-house thermal power plant is concerned, things are in the pipeline and I expect at least one project should be closed in the days to come.” Goyal said the power department’s focus is on total availability rather than generation from any single source.

“The availability of power is not about the availability of hydro power, wind power, or thermal power. It is about overall power availability,” he said.

The state averages 180 to 200 megawatts in demand, with generation calibrated to rainfall patterns.

“If we generate from all stations at full capacity, it goes beyond 200 megawatts. But that is not required,” he said.

Run-of-the-river stations are prioritized first.

“We plan our power production based on rainfall availability, especially for the run-of-the-river projects, which are Leshka and, to some extent, Ganol,” Goyal explained.

“So, we utilize those power stations first in terms of production, keeping Umiam as a reservoir and filling up the reservoir.”

Leshka’s output has fallen short of usual levels.

“The previous month’s data, as far as Leshka is concerned, is more or less comfortable — not to the extent we normally get, but it is not that bad either. We are getting about 70 to 80 percent of the production,” he said.

The shift to costlier sources may impact the budget, though the final figure is pending. “It might have a slight implication in terms of the cost of procurement, but I will not be in a position to say that now because it is a daily exercise,” he said.

“We will be able to work it out maybe by the end of the month or quarter to say what the impact has been.”

Even with added costs, Goyal said there will be no power cuts.

“This is our commitment: in spite of a maybe slightly higher cost in procurement, we will not go in for any kind of regulation of power or any kind of load shedding. Our commitment is for 24 hours of power supply to the state.”

On renewable energy, he said rooftop solar uptake remains sluggish due to weather conditions.

“It is the objective for all of us to go green and try to utilize solar power. Unfortunately, the demand under the individual rooftop solar scheme has not picked up in the way we would have wanted,” he said.

“Meghalaya has a longer monsoon period and rainy season. Of course, we cannot compare the production with the mainland or western states like Rajasthan or Gujarat, where the availability of solar power is high and more reliable than ours.”

The department now plans to sweeten the scheme.

“It is slowly picking up here, and I expect that in the days to come, we will work out some strategy on how to make it slightly more attractive for the common people to apply for the scheme,” he said.

“Let’s see if some more incentives can be given. I believe it might work out better.”

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