Gogoi urges Power Ministry for allocation from Bhutan projects

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today urged the Union Ministry of Power to take appropriate action for allocation of 500 MW of power from three projects in Bhutan.
The Assam government had applied for power from the Bhutan project, but it was pending with the Ministry of Power for appropriate action, Gogoi said in his speech, read in absentia, at the Conference of Power, Renewable energy and mines of Ministers of states and Union Territories here.
"The application of Assam has already been recommended by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), but no confirmation in this regard has been received from the Power Ministry till date," he said.

Gogoi urged the Centre for sympathetic consideration in this regard and came down heavily on NEEPCO for poor generation of power in its existing projects and inordinate delay in the project execution of some of its projects.
"NEEPCO's low generation and delay in commissioning has forced Assam to buy costly power from the market/exchanges leading to tariff shock and losses to the state distribution company with the the state government regularly having to release cash subsidies to it from its exchequer," he said.
There was also a mismatch and time lag between the tariff orders awarded by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission on the central sector generators and the orders passed by the State Regulatory Commission on the state utilities leading to additional losses to the State Distribution companies.

The Chief Minister also called for a single window clearance system for North Eastern Region projects for clearances within a standard time frame as there were considerable delays in most project clearances.