Jharkhand to ink pacts with power producers for 3,040 MW electricity

The Jharkhand government is in

the process of finalising pacts with several power producers for sourcing 3,040 MW electricity, an official statement said on Friday.

Demand for power in the state is currently at 2,050 MW and likely to grow to 3,440 MW in the next 10 years.

"The process of signing agreements with authorities of power plants installed in the state is in the final stage. Under this, 500 MW will be available from North Karanpura, 2,040 MW from PVUNL, 100 MW from floating solar and 400 MW from Adani Power," the statement said.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren chaired a meeting of the officials of the Energy Department and said there is a need to take concrete steps to increase electricity generation by assessing the demand in future.

He directed the officials to ensure an uninterrupted and quality power supply.

The Energy Department has set a target to reduce the transmission and distribution loss from 45 per cent at present to 20 per cent in the coming days.

The statement said pre-paid smart meters will be installed in the urban areas of Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Dhanbad.

The process of buying 6.5 lakh smart meters is on, it said.

The number of customers in the state without any meter or faulty meter is estimated at 15 lakh, it added.