World Bank aid for power projects in Tripura

The World Bank would provide Rs.1,376 crore to create infrastructure in the power sector in Tripura, an official said here on Wednesday.

State-owned Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) would execute the World Bank-aided projects in the state which shares its border with Bangladesh.

"A meeting of senior officials of PGCIL, World Bank, Central Electricity Authority, Tripura State Electricity Corporation and Tripura power department would be held here on March 13," an official of Tripura power department said.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, Power Minister Manik Dey will also be present in the meeting, which will discuss a strategy to implement the project.

The official said: "The Rs.1,376 crore Tripura project is a part of the Rs.8,150-crore 'North Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project' meant for Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura."

The World Bank in consultation with the union power ministry so far approved the Tripura project while talks are on to implement the project in other northeastern states.

"The World Bank aided infrastructure development project in the power sector would begin in the forthcoming fiscal year (2015-16)," the official added.

The PGCIL and World Bank officials earlier held talks and studied the power transmission scenario in Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura for implementation of the 'North Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project'.

The official said: "The World Bank would provide a major portion of the Rs.8,150 crore ambitious project as loan. Under this project, power transmission lines, transmission sub-stations and related works would be done in a phased manner."

The PGCIL, a "Navaratna" power transmission company, would also provide technical and managerial support for inter-state transmission and distribution systems.

The official said the union government has recently decided to implement a new 'Smart Grid Projects (SGP)' in 14 cities across the country on pilot-basis at a cost of Rs.200 crore.

The 14 cities include Agartala, the only city in the northeastern region, where the SGP will be executed.

The SGP will be a digital technology that allows for two-way communication between the utility and its customers, as well as monitoring of the transmission lines for efficient use of electricity.

The official said the Tripura State Electricity Corporation would soon undertake preliminary work to lay underground power transmission lines in the capital city and its outskirts.